Introduction:

Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is a key treatment in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, but even when available, patients do not always have access to it.

Objective:

To identify factors or barriers that may limit access to PR related to patients, physicians and physiotherapists.

Materials and methods:

A review of articles published in English and Spanish between 2006 and 2018 was conducted. The terms "COPD", "chronic obstructive pulmonary disease", "COLD", "chronic obstructive lung disease", "physical therapy modalities", "rehabilitation", "health services accessibility" and "patient" were used in the PubMed, PEDro, Scielo and IBECS databases.

Results:

Eleven publications were selected. Barriers affecting patients include transportation, environmental conditions, personal situations, and some social and contextual factors. The knowledge of professionals, their working conditions and their expectations regarding the benefit of PR protocols are also factors that condition patient access.

Conclusions:

The interprofessional training of physicians and physiotherapists, the implementation of flexible protocols according to patient conditions, and the organizational and intersectoral measures of the health system can facilitate accessibility to PR by patients.

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