An Evidence-based Practice Project to Evaluate Breathing Exercises on Dyspnea in Patients with Chronic Lung Disease

Abstract

Introduction: Dyspnea, or difficulty breathing, is a common symptom that affects individuals with chronic lung diseases, such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), lung cancer, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, mesothelioma, and others. Nurses are the most frequently encountered provider at the bedside and have a unique obligation to treat the symptomology of these lung diseases. Nurses are obligated to do no harm and to act in the best interest of the patient; therefore, reducing dyspnea addresses these key ethical considerations (American Nurses Association, 2015).

Methods: A literature review using the Johns Hopkins Evidence-based Practice model was conducted based on the following PICO question: In clients with chronic lung disease (P), how does a nurse-led breathing exercise program (I) compare to the standard of care (C) on shortness of breath? Databases searched included Nursing and Allied Health (ProQuest), Pubmed/Medline, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) with Full Text, and Cochrane Library (Reviews). Retained articles addressed the PICO question, and the results of the retained articles were assessed for quality and level of evidence.

Results: The body of literature has found that breathing exercises significantly reduce dyspnea in chronic lung disease patients; however, the body of evidence is of mixed quality.

Implications: It is recommended that health care organizations continue to perform research on the effectiveness of breathing exercise programs, but there is no reason to delay implementation of the intervention. The intervention is feasible to implement, low risk, and fit for units that care for chronic lung disease patients.