title: The impact of exercise on activities of daily living and quality of life: a primary care physician's perspective.
abstract: Evaluation of the environment of patients is an important function of the primary care physician and assists the caregiver in providing an improved quality of life for one's patients. In addition to data collection and therapy, assessment of both the basic and instrumental activities of daily living is a primary concern, especially in patients with chronic diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This article presents the perspective and observation of a primary care physician's management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and will give examples of how combined pulmonary rehabilitation and medication improved the quality of life for three patients and show how activities of daily living and quality of life may be seen as a continuum in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
authors.affiliation: Family Medicine Residency Program, Akron General Medical Center, Professor of Family Medicine, Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, USA. mbelfer@agmc.org
authors.forename: Mark H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Belfer
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010819:Physician's Role; D011320:Primary Health Care; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D011788:Quality of Life