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Contact the study team using the details below to take part. If there are no contact details below please ask your doctor in the first instance.
Symptoms and signs involving the circulatory and respiratory systems
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When the natural rhythm of breathing is disrupted, people can develop an unhelpful way of compensating, for example, by breathing too fast or too deeply when this is unnecessary. The medical term for this is a breathing pattern disorder (BPD).
BPD is present in around 10% of the general public and in up to 30% of people with asthma. It is also a significant problem after COVID-19, with up to 30% of patients with ‘long Covid’ having BPD. National guidelines recommend assessment for BPD in follow-up clinics.
BPD often goes undiagnosed, bringing additional distress to those patients who do not know what is wrong with them. Often, symptoms are thought to be due to a respiratory condition, which may lead to treatment with medications patients do not need, offering limited symptom relief.
Improving access to, and timely assessment by, a specialist respiratory physiotherapist is essential to confirm the presence of BPD and give the relevant treatment that can improve patients’ symptoms. However, we currently have limited tools to identify all types of BPD.
In 2017 we developed an questionnaire called the Breathing Pattern Assessment Tool (BPAT) for clinicians to use to evaluate BPD. It is used clinically but further testing is now required to ensure it is suitable.
The terms used for this condition are also inconsistent, which can be confusing in clinical practice and research if we are not all talking about the same condition.
Stage 1 : An interview study to build consensus around the terminology used for this condition and the methods of assessment required to secure a diagnosis
Stage 2a: A study to determine the consistency, accuracy and responsiveness of the BPAT'
Stage 2b: An interview-based study to explore patients' and clinicians' experiences of physiotherapy assessments for BPD.
Start dates may differ between countries and research sites. The research team are responsible for keeping the information up-to-date.
The recruitment start and end dates are as follows:
Observational type: Qualitative;
You can take part if:
You may not be able to take part if:
Stage 1 All Groups Not meeting inclusion criteria Stage 2a and b Patients with a respiratory diagnosis and non-normal LFTs including COPD, ILD, Bronchiectasis and Cystic Fibrosis Pregnancy Unable to give informed consent Anyone currently participating in pulmonary/cardiac rehabilitation Anyone currently receiving treatment from a speech and language therapist for an upper airways diagnosis (e.g. Inducible Larayngeal Obstruction ILO or Laryngeal hypersensitivity syndrome (LHS)
Below are the locations for where you can take part in the trial. Please note that not all sites may be open.
The study is sponsored by GUY'S AND ST THOMAS' NHS FOUNDATION TRUST and funded by NIHR Academy .
Your feedback is important to us. It will help us improve the quality of the study information on this site. Please answer both questions.
Read full details
for Trial ID: CPMS 55610
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