FIG. 11:  When are patients referred to pulmonary rehabilitation?  This Figure is from the ATS/ERS Task Force position paper on the diagnosis and treatment of patients with COPD,^[9] showing the various stages in the care continuum after a clinical presentation of COPD.  From this it can be seen that pulmonary rehabilitation should begin when patients become symptomatic and becomes even more important during the later stages of COPD, particularly when patients have frequent exacerbations, functional status limitation, and profound symptoms or respiratory failure that do not resolve with pharmacologic treatment.