Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) has consistently been shown to improve breathlessness, quality of life and functional capacity in individuals living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).1 The most pressing remaining questions do not relate to the effectiveness of PR; rather, they relate to whether it is accessible to all those who need it. Indeed, issues regarding inequities in access to care in COPD pose a complex challenge that needs to be addressed if we are to tackle socially patterned disparities in respiratory health.
In this issue of Thorax, Drover et al bring this issue to centre stage.2 Using the world’s largest PR dataset—the National Respiratory Audit Programme for England and Wales—the authors explore the associations of determinants of health with PR enrolment and completion in service users with COPD. Adults aged<60 years, women, individuals living in the most deprived areas, as well as those with the highest self-reported…
