International Journal of Nursing Research

Objective To explore the application value of the stepwise early pulmonary rehabilitation in county-level ICUs based on the 4E model in patients with AECOPD. Methods AECOPD patients admitted to the ICU of our hospital from April to October 2025 were selected and randomly grouped. 49 patients in the control group received routine care, and 50 patients in the observation group received stepwise early pulmonary rehabilitation in the county-level ICU based on the 4E model. The intervention results of the two groups were compared. Results Before the intervention, there was no significant difference in FEV1, FVC and 6MWT between the two groups (P>0.05). After the intervention, the levels of each index in the observation group were higher (P<0.05). Before the intervention, there was no significant difference in the CAT and Borg scores between the two groups (P>0.05). After the intervention, the scores of each group in the observation group were lower (P<0.05). The comparison of nursing satisfaction between the two groups showed that 94.00% was higher in the observation group (P<0.05). Conclusion For AECOPD patients admitted to the ICU, the implementation of the county-level ICU stepwise early pulmonary rehabilitation based on the 4E model can improve the lung function of patients, enhance exercise tolerance, improve the condition, relieve dyspnea symptoms, and also increase nursing satisfaction, which has high application value.

AECOPD; 4E model; Stepwise early pulmonary rehabilitation; ICU