🏅 Best Practice / Service Development Poster Winner
Is an innovative digital breathing & energy management programme effective in reducing symptoms of Long COVID? (ID 309)
Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
Funding: Bexley & Greenwich CCG
Abstract
The two most common symptoms of ‘Long COVID’ are breathlessness and fatigue (1). Ensuring quality rest, energy management and re-establishing efficient breathing is essential for recovery (1,2). Patients with long COVID helped create a digital 6-week breathing & energy management programme which was successfully commissioned.We used qualitative questionnaires pre and post intervention and patient feedback to establish the benefits. The programme was led by physiotherapists and psychological well-being practitioners. Patients were enrolled to weekly digital group sessions focusing on breathing retraining and establishing a good energy management balance. A follow up re-assessment was completed to establish what ongoing management was required.
105 patients were enrolled, aged 21-81, 73 female, 32 male, 83 White British, 22 Black/Asian/Other ethnicity. Baseline data showed 75% (n=79) had a breathing pattern disorder (Breathing Pattern Assessment Tool Score> 4.) 66% (n=69) had signs of hyperventilation (Nijmegen score > 23). 70% (n=74) were suffering with severe fatigue (Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) > 5).
Outcome measures used were the Self-Reported Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire (SR -CRDQ), General Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD7), Patient Health Questionnaire PHQ9 and FSS.
- 71% (n=74) patients had a clinically significant improvement in at least 1 of the SR-CRDQ domains (breathlessness, emotion, fatigue and mastery).
- 50% (n=53) had a clinically significant improvement in FSS.
- 42% (n=44) patients had a clinically significant improvement in anxiety or depression.
This innovative service shows that a multidisciplinary, digital, 6 week breathing and energy management programme was beneficial for patients suffering Long COVID. Feedback from patients was extremely positive. Continued investigation and further research is required to evaluate the effectiveness of breathing retraining and energy management for patients suffering with Long COVID.
1) P.M. George et al. Respiratory follow-up of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Thorax 2020
2) Updated NICE guidance on chronic fatigue syndrome. BMJ 2020.
Conflicts of interest: None
The conference has been instigated and organised by PCRS. We are grateful to sponsors and exhibitors who have contributed funding towards this event in return for exhibition space. Neither sponsors or exhibitors have had any input into the agenda or the selection of speakers with the exception of any sponsored satellite symposia which are clearly indicated. View the full list of sponsors.