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Breathlessness clinics within specialist palliative care settings can improve the quality of life and functional capacity of patients with lung cancer

Lewis-Manning House, Cancer Trust, Poole

Virginia Laurence

Dorset Cancer Centre, Poole Hospital NHS Trust

Ann Scott

Lewis-Manning House, Cancer Trust, Poole

Roger Baker

Peter Thomas

Dorset Research and Development Support Unit, Poole Hospital NHS Trust, Bournemouth University

This paper is a development on recent research that proved the value of nonpharmacological techniques and strategies in the management of breathlessness in lung cancer. It evaluates the intervention in a specialist palliative care setting using an outpatient clinic at Lewis-Manning House. Referrals were made by the patients' physician or specialist nurse. Patients (n=30) were assessed and treated by the senior physiotherapist in charge of the clinic over three sessions. A number of outcomes were measured at various stages of the patients' treatment. The results have confirmed and strengthened the previous published results. Highly significant improvements in patients' breathlessness, functional capacity, activity levels and distress levels have been shown. For example, the percentage of patients experiencing breathlessness several times or more per day was reduced from 73% to 27% four weeks later. In addition, this project has been able to demonstrate significant improvements in quality of life and high levels of satisfaction with the interventions. Qualitative data enhanced the findings of objective measurements.

Key Words: breathing exercises • dyspnoea • lung cancer • palliative care • quality of life

Palliative Medicine, Vol. 17, No. 5, 410-417 (2003)
DOI: 10.1191/0269216303pm752oa


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