Paraschiva POSTOLACHE1,2
Abstract. This paper presents an overview of pulmonary rehabilitation in Romania, tracing its evolution from initial implementation to current integration with digital technologies. Pulmonary rehabilitation is now recognized as a cornerstone in the management of chronic lung diseases, aiming to enhance patients’ quality of life and functionality through tailored, multidimensional interventions. The development of pulmonary rehabilitation in Romania began in the 1970s and was significantly advanced by the establishment of the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Working Group (PRWG) in 2006. The key components of pulmonary rehabilitation programs include physical training, education, psychological support, nutritional counseling, occupational therapy, and strategies for managing secretions. Current pulmonary rehabilitation practices are enhanced by telemedicine, digital health platforms, virtual reality, robotics and artitifical intelligence. These innovations enable remote monitoring, personalized exercises, and enhanced patient engagement, promising a transformative impact on pulmonary care. Future directions emphasize ongoing research to optimize technology integration, improve protocols, and ensure equitable access, thereby maximizing the benefits of pulmonary rehabilitation for diverse patient populations.
Keywords: pulmonary rehabilitation, telerehabilitation, virtual reality, robots, artificial intelligence.
DOI 10.56082/annalsarscimed.2025.2.23
1”Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Iasi, Romania
2Rehabilitation Clinical Hospital, Respiratory Medical Rehabilitation Clinic, Iasi, Romania
Correspondence to: Paraschiva Postolache, e-mail: postpar04@yahoo.com
PUBLISHED in Annals of the Academy of Romanian Scientists Series of Medicine, Volume 6, Issue 2