Evaluation of a Multi-professional Breathlessness Service for Patients With Breathlessness Due to Any Advanced Disease

Summary

Breathlessness is a common and distressing symptom in patients with advanced diseases like cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic heart failure (CHF) or lung fibrosis, which broadly impacts on patients' quality of life and may result in high burden for carers.

This single-blinded randomized controlled fast track trial evaluates the effectiveness of a multi-professional breathlessness service in patients with advanced and chronic diseases. The intervention group will get immediate access to the breathlessness service whereas the control group will receive standard care and get access to the service after a waiting time of eight weeks. Primary endpoints are mastery of breathlessness and quality of life, measured with the CRQ (Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire) as well as the reduction of symptom burden of patients and burden of carers. The evaluation of the cost effectiveness of the breathlessness service from the perspective of the German health system is a further study aim.

Conditions

• Breathlessness
• COPD
• Cancer
• Chronic Heart Failure
• Interstitial Lung Disease

Interventions

OTHER

Multi-professional breathlessness service (MBS)

Patients visit the MBS twice. At week 1, delivered by palliative care specialists and respiratory disease specialists, patients receive an detailed assessment of breathlessness, relevant symptoms beyond breathlessness, psychosocial issues and carer burden. Recommendations are provided, and reviewed at the concluding visit in week 6 with palliative care specialists. In between these visits, weekly physiotherapy sessions focus on positioning, breathing techniques, exercise as well as pacing and fatigue management. Further support from the multi-professional expert team is given as needed.

OTHER

Delayed MBS Intervention

Patients will wait 8 weeks for start of intervention and will receive standard care in the meantime with access to respiratory medicine, general practitioners and palliative care services as needed. Standard care includes support by their general practitioners and disease orientated treatment (e.g. anti-obstructive treatment, oxygen supply if indicated, chemotherapy).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University Hospital Munich

  collaborator OTHER

• Helmholtz Zentrum München

  collaborator INDUSTRY

• University of Cambridge

  collaborator OTHER

• King's College London

  collaborator OTHER

• Ludwig-Maximilians - University of Munich

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Claudia Bausewein, Prof.Dr.med. · Munich University Hospital

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2015-03-02

Primary Completion

2019-02-01

Completion

2019-04-30

Countries

• Germany

Study Locations