OBJECTIVE: Physiotherapy breathlessness management is considered to be a major component in the treatment of breathlessness; however, evidence of the efficacy of this practice is lacking. This clinical study aimed to identify the immediate impact of breathlessness intervention on perceived breathlessness. DESIGN: A pragmatic randomised controlled study. SETTING: Collection of data took place over a 4-month period within an in-patient setting in a National Health Service acute teaching hospital. PERTICIPANTS: Thirty-one subjects participating in the study were recruited over 3 consecutive days and were randomly allocated to the intervention or control groups. INTERVENTION: Physiotherapy breathlessness management including pursed lip and diaphragmatic breathing, 'blow-as-you-go', positioning and pacing techniques were taught to the individuals in the intervention group on an individual basis during a 45-minute training session. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The Borg scale was the primary outcome measure. Measurements were taken before, during and after a stair climbing exercise. RESULTS: Data were collected from 30 subjects (mean age 75.2 years) with a variety of cardiopulmonary conditions. The results suggested that the intervention group reported a reduction in breathlessness during stair climbing (p = 0.02) and after descending the stairs (p = 0.02) following a session of breathlessness management. No change was observed in the control group. CONCLUSION: The findings of the current investigation suggest that individuals with dyspnoea are able to incorporate techniques taught as part of a breathlessness management package of care, and that in the short term, these techniques have a positive effect on the perception of breathlessness. Future studies should look at the long-term benefit of these procedures.

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