Characterizing pulmonary rehabilitation referrals from primary care

Background: Supporting referral to pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) from primary care for people with chronic lung disease could improve equity of access. Understanding who is referred to PR from primary care, and by whom, could inform development of strategies to increase awareness of and referral to PR for people with chronic respiratory disease. We aimed to quantify the proportion of patients referred to PR from primary care in an Australian metropolitan setting; and to identify characteristic features of patients and referrers. Methods: A retrospective, single-site, audit of referrals was undertaken. Corresponding patient medical records were reviewed for referral details, patient demographics and baseline PR assessment measures. Results: Between January 2020 and December 2023 658 referrals to PR were received of which 6.2 % (n = 41) originated from a primary care source (98 % general practice; 2 % allied health). People referred to PR from primary care were typically diagnosed with COPD (71 %), were female (59 %), had moderate disease severity (mean(SD) forced expiratory volume in 1 s 70(26) %predicted) and had mild symptoms (53 % modified Medical Research Council dyspnoea score 0 or 1) and modest functional impairment (6-min walk distance 410(121) meters). Just 4 of 36 primary care practitioners referred more than one patient. Conclusion: In this audit the proportion of people referred to PR from primary care was very low. Processes to support the referral of more patients from primary care to PR, across the spectrum of chronic respiratory disease, remain a priority for improving access to this well-established treatment.