Chapter 1: Introduction Since 2003, Horsens Regional Hospital in Denmark has been offering a rehabilitation program to patients suffering from the consequences of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The present study evaluate this clinical routine rehabilitation program, by characterizing a cohort of COPD patients treated at the hospital in order to identify predictors of rehabilitation completion. Furthermore outcomes and patients’ subjective experience in relation to clinical routine rehabilitation are investigated in a follow-up study. In Denmark, approximately 25% of 65-79-year-old citizens are diagnosed with COPD (1). With an increasing life expectancy, the number of people who will need treatment and rehabilitation is hence a serious challenge for the health care system now and in the future. As a consequence, Danish COPD Disease Management Programs including rehabilitation have been developed following the guidelines of Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) (2). As a multidisciplinary and comprehensive intervention, the effects of rehabilitation have been documented in a large number of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). A Cochrane review and international guidelines recommend rehabilitation as an important part of the care for COPD patients in order to improve their functional capacity, health related quality of life (QoL), and symptoms (3-5). Horsens Regional Hospital has implemented a Disease Management Program in which the health care professionals emphasize a change of current practice and pioneer program development and implementation to ensure that treatment and rehabilitation of COPD patients be evidence-based (6). Hospital management has requested an evaluation of the rehabilitation program to monitor its effect and evaluate its feasibility in clinical routine. This request initiated the present project, which has the overall purpose to form the basis for an optimal inclusion, completion and effect of clinical routine rehabilitation.