Effect of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation of Lower Limbs on Improving Exercise Self-Efficacy, Dyspnea During Activity and Fatigue in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

The study adopts a quasi-experimental design with convenience sampling. Data collection will be done through structured questionnaires. Patients who meet the inclusion criteria will be referred by physicians, and before enrollment, a verbal introduction will be given explaining the study's purpose, the questionnaire, and the intervention procedure and duration. The experimental group will participate in both pulmonary rehabilitation exercises and an additional intervention of lower limb neuromuscular electrical stimulation, 30 minutes per session, three times per week, for eight weeks. The control group will only participate in pulmonary rehabilitation exercises. Based on Hill et al. (2018), neuromuscular electrical stimulation should continue for 4 to 8 weeks. Questionnaires will be administered before the intervention and at the 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th weeks post-intervention, including basic information, Modified Medical Research Council Dyspnea Scale, Manchester COPD Fatigue Scale,

The control group will only participate in pulmonary rehabilitation exercises