Hospital Without Dyspnea. Rationale and Design of a Multidisciplinary Intervention

Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañon

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Dyspnea

Treatments: Behavioral: Teaching talks

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02538289

Hospital without dyspnea

Details and patient eligibility

About

Dyspnea is a symptom that is growing in incidence, as respiratory and heart diseases are becoming more frequent. Patients suffering from dyspnea have a significant disabling due to chronic refractory dyspnea and crisis of irruptive dyspnea. Although there are several tools that may produce an improvement of symptom intensity, they are underused.

Full description

We sought to investigate whether if teaching interventions specifically addressed to medical staff improve the well-being of dyspneic patients. The MAIN GOAL of this study is to evaluate the effect of two talks (conveyed to doctors and nurses of Cardiology and Respiratory Medicine Departments) on the patient-perceived dyspnea. The contents of these talks will be prepared and supervised by Palliative Care specialists.

This is a four-staged study that includes a first observational phase (prevalence study of dyspnea) followed by intervention and a third phase that will determine the effect of this teaching intervention. The fourth phase consists in the elaboration of specific protocols for management of dyspnea.

A pharmacovigilance study of opioids will also take place.

Enrollment: 100 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Hospital admission with dyspnea as main symptom
• Acceptance of participation in the study
• Diagnosis of Chronic Respiratory Disease
• Diagnosis of Chronic Heart Failure
• Chronic Refractory Dyspnea higher than 1/10 and Irruptive Dyspnea higher than 2/10 degree by Rating Numerical Scale

Exclusion criteria

• Cognitive Impairment
• Voluntary dropout.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Non-Randomized

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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100 participants in 2 patient groups

Patients admitted before talks

Other group

Description:

Patients admitted to Cardiology or Respiratory Medicine Departments before the interventional teaching talks.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Teaching talks

Patients admitted after talks

Other group

Description:

Patients admitted to Cardiology or Respiratory Medicine Departments after the interventional teaching talks.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Teaching talks