Hospital Without Dyspnea. Rationale and Design of a Multidisciplinary Intervention

Hospital Without Dyspnea. Rationale and Design of a Multidisciplinary Intervention

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.

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.

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.