Breathlessness
About this Priority Setting Partnership
As our population is ageing with increasing multimorbidity, the number of people affected globally will increase. Breathlessness is also a key symptom of the COVID-19 pandemic and it can persist after the infection
The Breathlessness PSP, led by Asthma & Lung UK, launched in November 2023 and worked with patients, carers and clinicians to identify and prioritise uncertainties about the diagnosis, treatment, self-management and prevention of breathlessness.
For the purpose of this PSP, Breathlessness was defined as a symptom, irrespective of the specific underlying condition(s) which may be causing it.
The Breathlessness PSP Top 10 was published in November 2024.
Top 10 priorities
The most important questions
- How should the health service be designed in order to best diagnose, treat and support people with breathlessness, during both emergencies and long-term care?
- How can support for breathlessness be tailored to meet the needs of people with learning difficulties, disabilities, different ethnic and social backgrounds?
- What non-drug treatments (ie, treatments that do not involve medication, such as breathing pattern retraining, exercise, and singing groups) are effective for reducing breathlessness, and how are they best delivered?
- How can people living with breathlessness be supported to manage their symptoms better?
- What is the best (accurate, quick, and cost-effective) way for health-care professionals to assess and diagnose breathlessness?
- How can people living with breathlessness be supported to know when and how they should seek help for their breathlessness?
- How can health professionals address the discomfort and distress of breathlessness (regardless of cause) as part of their interactions with patients?
- What are the best ways to manage anxiety, fear and panic when experiencing breathlessness?
- How can breathlessness be prevented from developing, getting worse, or reversed?
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How can breathlessness be improved for people with multiple conditions that contribute to it?
The following questions were also discussed and put in order of priority at the workshop:
- How can technology be used to help monitor and manage breathlessness?
- What is the link between breathlessness, pain, emotion and/or fatigue, and what can be done about it?
- What are the physical and psychological effects of living with breathlessness and how do they effect everyday life of people living with breathlessness, and their families and carers?
- How do outdoor and indoor environments affect breathlessness and what can be done to improve them?
- How can people living with breathlessness be supported long term with activities of daily living and exercise?
- What are the long term affects of vaping and/or passive smoking on breathlessness?
- How effective are cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation programmes in improving breathlessness?
- What role can allied healthcare professionals play in supporting people to manage breathlessness, and what does an ideal team look like?
- How can new drug treatments be developed that provide longer lasting relief from breathlessness and with fewer side effects?
- How can aspects of a healthy lifestyle help to reduce and/or improve breathlessness long term?
- What would the ideal specialist team of healthcare professionals supporting people with breathlessness look like?
- Why does breathlessness occur when at rest, at night, from carrying out simple, everyday activities and/or when oxygen levels are healthy?
- What alternative therapies are safe and effective for reducing breathlessness?
- How can inhalers and other medical devices be better designed ?
- How does the nervous system (particularly the Vagus nerve) affect breathlessness and how do we change this?
Key documents
These documents set out the aims, objectives and commitments of the PSP.