An Evaluation of Physiotherapy Assessment; A Mixed Methods Study to Evaluate the Physiotherapy Assessment of Breathing Pattern Disorder

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating the Breathing Pattern Assessment Tool (BPAT), a physiotherapist-completed clinical tool designed to identify and assess breathing pattern disorder (BPD), a condition causing inefficient or inappropriate breathing leading to symptoms like breathlessness. This mixed-methods observational study aims to determine the reliability, validity, and clinical usefulness of the BPAT, including its ability to monitor changes over time and following physiotherapy treatment. The study includes patients with BPD, patients with asthma, and healthy individuals to compare assessments across groups. Patients with BPD will attend multiple physiotherapy sessions as part of usual care, undergoing BPAT assessments at baseline, approximately 4 weeks, and up to 6 months during and after treatment. The usual physiotherapy intervention includes up to four outpatient sessions focusing on biomechanical, biochemical, and psychopathological aspects of breathing. Healthy controls will attend a single assessment visit, and data for asthma patients will be collected from routine clinical care. A subgroup of patients and physiotherapists will also participate in interviews to discuss their experiences using the BPAT. Participants will be involved in assessments using the BPAT and several questionnaires measuring breathlessness and breathing symptoms, such as the Nijmegen Questionnaire and Dyspnoea 12. Researchers will evaluate BPAT reliability between clinicians and responsiveness to treatment changes. They will also collect patient and clinician ratings of symptom changes. The study aims to improve the assessment and monitoring of BPD to support more consistent clinical care, with participant involvement lasting up to 6 months for those with BPD and one visit for healthy controls.

The Physiotherapy Assessment of Breathing Pattern Disorder