Pulmonary Rehabilitation is recognised as the most effective non-pharmacological management for people living with a chronic lung disease or lung cancer. However, there is limited accessibility to pulmonary rehabilitation due to lack of available local programs, transport issues, long waiting lists, poor referral rates and poor consumer knowledge of benefits and uptake of existing programs. There is also inequity of availability of pulmonary rehabilitation throughout Australia especially for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and rural and remote communities.
In 2024, Lung Foundation Australia launched Australia’s first Pulmonary Rehabilitation Strategy Framework 2023-2026. The Strategy Framework focuses on building awareness of the benefits of pulmonary rehabilitation and on establishing and documenting the compelling case for change in the provision and funding of services. This will help to ensure pulmonary rehabilitation is available and accessible for all who could benefit from quality pulmonary rehabilitation programs no matter their location, circumstance, lung disease, cultural and language aspects or choice of mode of delivery.
Four key action areas have been defined in the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Strategy Framework:
- Image and awareness
- Data and service quality
- Access
- Funding mechanisms
The Strategy Framework identified over 30 activities needed to address these key action areas by federal and state government, health services and peak body organisations. The Strategy Framework outlines the success measures and outcomes that will be achieved through implementation of the Framework.
Lung Foundation Australia aspires to reduce potentially preventable hospital admissions, improve quality of life, increase active societal participation of those living with a lung disease or lung cancer and ensure pulmonary rehabilitation is promoted as a tool to alleviate adverse consequences by those living with a lung disease or lung cancer.
The Strategy Framework was developed with key opinion leaders, Pulmonary Rehabilitation Network and people living with a lung disease or lung cancer.
For further information contact pulmonaryrehabilitation@lungfoundation.com.au
