Information for the public

Pulmonary rehabilitation

Pulmonary rehabilitation

Pulmonary rehabilitation sessions teach you about how your lungs work and how to cope with symptoms such as breathlessness so you can get the most out of life.

When you are diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, your specialist doctor should offer you assessment to see if pulmonary rehabilitation could help you. Your doctor should offer to repeat the assessments every 6 or 12 months.

If pulmonary rehabilitation could help, you should be able to attend a session designed for people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and tailored to your needs. The sessions should be a mixture of advice and exercise classes. The sessions should be easy for you to get to, even if you have a disability.

Questions you might like to ask

  • Can you tell me why you have decided to offer me this particular type of treatment?

  • What will it involve?

  • How will it help me? What effect will it have on my symptoms and everyday life? What sort of improvements might I expect?

  • How long will it take to have an effect?

  • Are there any risks associated with this treatment?

  • Is there some other information (like a leaflet, DVD or a website I can go to) about the treatment that I can have?

  • What will happen if I choose not to have the treatment you have offered?

  • Information Standard