A Novel Incremental Step Test as an Alternative for the Assessment of Exercise Capacity in Patients With COPD

Summary

Participation Requirements

Description

The primary aim of this project is to develop and determine the measurement properties (validity and reliability) of a novel step test for the assessment of exercise capacity in patients with COPD. The investigators will perform two cross-sectional studies for validity and reliability in patients wi...

The primary aim of this project is to develop and determine the measurement properties (validity and reliability) of a novel step test for the assessment of exercise capacity in patients with COPD. The investigators will perform two cross-sectional studies for validity and reliability in patients with COPD. Participants attending a pneumology consultation at the hospital will be asked for permission to be contacted about the study. The participants who agree will be seen by the principal investigator who will explain the nature of the study and assess eligibility for the study. The participants will sign informed consent. The validity study will be performed in two days (separated >48h). During the first session, the participants will perform the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) twice (a valid test for COPD). On the second day, the step test will be performed twice. The reliability study will be performed in two days (separated for 7 days). On both days, the step test will be performed one time. The investigators predict that 50 patients with COPD will be followed in each study (validity and reliability). The investigators hypothesize that the step test can be a good option to apply in pulmonary rehabilitation programs with good measurement properties for the assessment of exercise capacity in COPD patients. The validation of the test can contribute to applying the step modality in the exercise training as an alternative for the prescription of the exercise intensity. For that, the investigators also hypothesize that the test can be reliable and one test must be enough for the assessment of the patients.

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