Introduction: It is known from large retrospective cohorts receiving state of the art pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) that 40 to 50% of the participants do not achieve the minimal important changes (MIC) despite being adherent to the PR program.
Aim: To investigate the proportion of MIC responders and non-responders short-term (10-weeks from baseline) and long-term (62-weeks from baseline) in total and between groups receiving home-based telerehabilitation (PTR) or conventional outpatient PR.
Methods: Patients underwent repeated assessment that included 6-minute walk distance (6MWD), 30sec-sit-to-stand (30secSTS), COPD assessment test (CAT), hospital anxiety and depressions score (HADS) and EuroQol 5D.
Results: 134 patients allocated 1:1 with COPD (55% females, mean±SD age 68.3±9.0 years, FEV1 33.1±9.4% predicted, 6-min walking distance 331±99 meters, CAT 20±7 points, HADS-A 6.3±3.5 points, HADS-D 4.3±3.0 points, and EQ5D-VAS 52.7±19.2 points) were analyzed. There was no statistical difference for 6MWD response between PTR and PR, 34 % and 42 % respectively (OR:0.71, [95%CI: 0.34; 1.51]) at 10-weeks follow-up or at 62 weeks follow-up, 28 % and 26 % respectively (OR: 1.12, [95% CI: 0.38; 3.14]). For secondary outcomes only HADS-A score at 10-weeks showed a difference in favor of PTR vs. PR (OR: 2.2, [95%CI: 1.01; 4.93]). Thirty-six percent and 23% of the participants achieved a good MIC response (on ?3 outcomes) at 10 and 62-weeks follow-up respectively. Forty-seven percent maintained a good MIC response from 10 to 62 Weeks follow-up, with 55% maintaining a moderate response and 58% for nonresponse. 
Conclusion: MIC responses are similar in PTR and PR both short- and long-term.