Breathlessness without borders: a call to action for global breathlessness research

Clark, Joseph David; Binnie, Kate; Bond, Maddie; Crooks, Michael; Currow, David C.; Curry, Jordan; Elsey, Helen; Habib, Monsur; Hutchinson, Ann; Soyiri, Ireneous; Johnson, Miriam J.; Nair, Shreya; Rao, Seema; Siqueira-Filha, Noemia; Spathis, Anna; Williams, Siân

Abstract

It is likely that the burden of breathlessness in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) is much higher than has been estimated using calculations of disease burden and expected prevalence of the symptom. However, most breathlessness research has been conducted in high-income countries and may not be relevant to LMICs. To address this issue, we convened an international breathlessness and global health workshop. Our multidisciplinary team of experts (global palliative care, respiratory medicine, epidemiology, palliative medicine, psychiatry, sport science, global public health and health economics) met at the University of Hull for a two-day workshop in May 2024. We had 8 presentations on key issues relevant to global breathlessness research. Our discussions focussed on unexplored questions and links between breathlessness and other health and social issues, in order to develop an agenda for global breathlessness research. Our discussions highlighted 1) the global burden of breathlessness generated by a range of lifestyle, environmental, disease and poverty-related factors, 2) the need for a global healthcare workforce which can address modifiable causes and the symptom of breathlessness together using an integrated approach, 3) the value of information about clinical effectiveness when considering implementation of breathlessness self-management interventions, 4) Addressing and measuring meaningful family-centred outcomes and 5) Developing a language for global breathlessness research. We present our discussions and recommendations to generate discussion – not to provide empirical evidence.

Citation

Clark, J. D., Binnie, K., Bond, M., Crooks, M., Currow, D. C., Curry, J., Elsey, H., Habib, M., Hutchinson, A., Soyiri, I., Johnson, M. J., Nair, S., Rao, S., Siqueira-Filha, N., Spathis, A., & Williams, S. (2024). Breathlessness without borders: a call to action for global breathlessness research. NPJ Primary Care Respiratory Medicine, 34(1), Article 26. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41533-024-00384-9

• Journal Article Type: Commentary
• Acceptance Date: Sep 13, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Sep 30, 2024
• Publication Date: Sep 30, 2024
• Deposit Date: Sep 23, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 1, 2024
• Journal: NPJ primary care respiratory medicine
• Electronic ISSN: 2055-1010
• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• Peer Reviewed: Not Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 34
• Issue: 1
• Article Number: 26
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41533-024-00384-9
• Keywords: Palliative care; Public health; Respiratory signs and symptoms
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4834442