Thomas Riegler

Work at ZHAW

Position

• Senior Lecturer
• Research Project Manager
• PhD student

Focus

• Expertise: Diseases of internal organs, respiratory diseases (pulmonary fibrosis, COPD, Long/Covid), examination of organ systems (clinical differential processes of viscerogenic and musculoskeletal origins), differential diagnosis and screening in physiotherapy, diagnostic ultrasound in physiotherapy, non-invasive ventilation, oxygen therapy, blended-/eLearning and multimedia design in higher education
• Research Focus: Lung Fibrosis, COPD, Advanced Practice in Physiotherapy, Implementation Science in Healthcare

Teaching

• BSc Physiotherapy
• MSc Physiotherapy
• Postgraduate Course Clinical Medicine in Physiotherapy
• Postgraduate Course Screening and Differential Diagnosis in Physiotherapy

Experience

• Project manager 'Development and evaluation of a blended education and selfmanagement program for patients with interstitial lung disease'
  ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences
  09 / 2022 - today
• Senior Lecturer
  ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences
  11 / 2019 - today
• Head of Pulmonary Therapy
  Berner Reha Zentrum
  03 / 2017 - 08 / 2022
• Clinical Specialist for Pulmonary Therapy
  Berner Reha Zentrum
  03 / 2015 - 02 / 2017
• Physiotherapist
  Berner Reha Zentrum
  09 / 2014 - 02 / 2015

Education and Continuing education

Education

• Master of Science in Physiotherapy / Physiotherapy and Musculoskeletal
  ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences & BFH Berner Fachhochschule
  09 / 2017 - 07 / 2020
• Bachelor of Science / Physiotherapy
  FH Gesundheitsberufe Oberösterreich
  09 / 2011 - 07 / 2014

Continuing Education

• Certificate of Advanced Studies for Higher and Professional Education
  ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning
  07 / 2021
• Diploma in Orthopaedic Manual Therapy (OMT)
  Swiss Association for Orthopaedic Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy (svomp)
  06 / 2020
• Diploma of Dry Needling Association Switzerland (DVS)
  David G. Simons Academy (DGSA)
  08 / 2018
• Certificate of Advanced Studies Swiss Working Group for Manual Therapy Basic
  BFH Berner Fachhochschule
  06 / 2016
• Certificate in Respiratory Physiotherapy
  BFH Berner Fachhochschule
  06 / 2015

Network

Membership of networks

• European Respiratory Society (ERS)
• Audit Expert, Commission of Prevention and Rehabilitation - Swiss Society of Pulmonology (SSP)
• Interessengemeinschaft Physiotherapie Rehabilitation in der Pneumologie (IGPTR-P)
• Swiss Association for Musculoskeletal and Orthopaedic Physiotherapy (svomp)
• Swiss Dry Needling Association (DVS)
• Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+)
• Physioswiss

ORCID digital identifier

ORCID ID: 0000-0001-6213-239X

Awards

PhD grant
Foundation for Physiotherapy Science
08 / 2024

Social media

LinkedIn

Media presence

Durch Implementation Science den Know-Do Gap schliessen. Physioactive, 10/2024: 36–39, Deborah Nydegger.

Projects

• Return to work of people with Post-COVID Condition: A health equity project / Team member / ongoing
• Development and evaluation of a blended patient education and self-management program for patients with fibrotic interstitial lung disease / Project leader / ongoing

Publications

• Riegler, Thomas F.; Frei, Anja; Wirz, Markus; Holland, Anne E.; Lindell, Kathleen; Brun, Patrick; Puhan, Milo A.; Marcin, Thimo; Guler, Sabina A.,

  2025.

  Specific content for education and self-management programs for people with pulmonary fibrosis : a co-creation, multiphase, mixed-method study.

  ERJ Open Research.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.1183/23120541.00245-2025

• Guler, Sabina A.; Riegler, Thomas F.,

  2025.

  Pulmonary rehabilitation in interstitial lung disease : improving how patients feel, function – and potentially survive?.

  CHEST.

  167(6), pp. 1523-1524.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chest.2025.01.009

• Riegler, Thomas,

  2025.

  Atemphysiotherapie – wie, wann, für wen?.

  der informierte @rzt.

  15(5), pp. 36-39.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-33384

• Riegler, Thomas; Marcin, Thimo; Brun, Patrick,

  2024.

  Implementation of an advanced practice role for oxygen prescription by physiotherapists in pulmonary rehabilitation : an explanatory sequential mixed-method quality evaluation.

  BMC Health Services Research.

  24(1), pp. 1585.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-024-12041-5

• Frei, Anja; Radtke, Thomas; Dalla Lana, Kaba; Brun, Patrick; Sigrist, Thomas; Spielmanns, Marc; Beyer, Swantje; Riegler, Thomas F.; Büsching, Gilbert; Spielmanns, Sabine; Kunz, Ramona; Cerini, Tamara; Braun, Julia; Tomonaga, Yuki; Serra-Burriel, Miquel; Polhemus, Ashley; Puhan, Milo A.,

  2022.

  Effectiveness of a long-term home-based exercise training program in patients with COPD after pulmonary rehabilitation : a multicenter randomized controlled trial.

  CHEST.

  162(6), pp. 1277-1286.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chest.2022.07.026

• Cerini, Tamara; Hilfiker, Roger; Riegler, Thomas F.; Felsch, Quinten T. M.,

  2022.

  12 weeks high intensity interval training versus moderate intensity continuous training in chronic low back pain subjects : a randomised single-blinded feasibility study.

  Archives of Physiotherapy.

  12(1), pp. 12.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40945-022-00136-3

• Zumbrunnen, Valerie; Riegler, Thomas F.; Haile, Sarah R.; Radtke, Thomas,

  2022.

  The impact of seat height on 1-min sit-to-stand test performance in COPD : a randomised crossover trial.

  ERJ Open Research.

  8(3), pp. 00033-2022.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.1183/23120541.00033-2022

• Riegler, Thomas F.; Frei, Anja; Haile, Sarah R.; Radtke, Thomas,

  2021.

  Accompanied versus unaccompanied walking for continuous oxygen saturation measurement during 6-min walk test in COPD : a randomised crossover study.

  ERJ Open Research.

  7(3), pp. 921-2020.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.1183/23120541.00921-2020

• Riegler, Thomas,

  2023.

  Herz- und Lungenauskultation, Perkussion und Stimmfremitus.

  In:

  Steier, Jörg; Rausch-Osthoff, Anne-Kathrin, eds.,

  Physiotherapie bei chronisch-obstruktiven Atemwegs- und Lungenerkrankungen.

  Berlin:

  Springer.

  pp. 201-218.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-63613-8_20

• Riegler, Thomas,

  2023.

  Sauerstoff (O2) und Säure-Basen-Haushalt.

  In:

  Steier, Jörg; Rausch-Osthoff, Anne-Kathrin, eds.,

  Physiotherapie bei chronisch-obstruktiven Atemwegs- und Lungenerkrankungen.

  Berlin:

  Springer.

  pp. 23-36.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-63613-8_3

Publications before appointment at the ZHAW

Cerini, T., Hilfiker, R., Riegler, T. F., & Felsch, Q. T. M. (2022). 12 weeks high intensity interval training versus moderate intensity continuous training in chronic low back pain subjects: A randomised single-blinded feasibility study. Archives of Physiotherapy, 12(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40945-022-00136-3

Other publications

• Poster ‘Specific content for a patient education and self-management program for patients with fibrotic interstitial lung disease: a patient-healthcare expert co-creation and international Delphi consensus approach’ at the International Colloquium for Lung and Airway Fibrosis (ICLAF), Athens, 2024
• Poster ‘Patient education and self-management content in fibrotic interstitial lung disease – results of an international multiphase Delphi consensus process with patient involvement’, at the European Respiratory Society Congress (ERS), Veinna, 2024
• Presenter on the topic ‘The Know-Do Gap – and how to address it with implementation science’ at Physioswiss Cadre Forum, Bern, 2024
• Presenter on the topic ‘Patient Education & Self-Management in Lung Fibrosis’ at the Congress of the Swiss Society of Pneumology (SSP), Baden, 2024
• Presenter on the topic 'Advanced Practitioner Oxygen - Oxygen Prescriptions by Physiotherapists' at Swiss Congress for Health Professions (SCHP), Neuchatel, 2022
• Poster 'The Impact of Walking Behind the Patient on Six-Minute Walk Test Distance in COPD: A Randomised Cross-over Study' am international European Respiratory Society Congress, 2020

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