TY - JOUR T1 - The patient and healthcare profession perspective: Pulmonary rehabilitation JF - Breathe JO - breathe SP - 411 LP - 412 DO - 10.1183/20734735.139902 VL - 9 IS - 5 A2 - , Y1 - 2013/09/01 UR - http://breathe.ersjournals.com/content/9/5/411.abstract N2 - David is a COPD patient who has completed a course of pulmonary rehabilitation and is now a mentor for others on the course. I was visiting a respiratory consultant for my breathlessness when they referred me for pulmonary rehabilitation. I've always led an active life and although my symptoms didn't prevent me from carrying out daily activities, I wanted to give anything a go that might prevent my lifestyle from deteriorating. Pulmonary rehabilitation was explained to me as a course of exercise and education, designed to improve my endurance and teach me about my condition. I was told I would spend the first hour of the session doing different exercises on either an exercise bike, treadmill or something similar, followed by a second hour of education where I would hear from specialists about the best way to manage my condition. I felt open minded about the prospect of the course. I'd always had an interest in my condition but didn't know a lot about it. In addition to improving my exercise capacity, this would give me the opportunity to learn more about COPD and how it could affect me in the future. The course gave me the opportunity to meet others and share our experiences. I noticed this was a great benefit … ER -