Mindfulness for patients with difficult to manage asthma
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Investigating the impact of a short-course MBSR-based mindfulness intervention on patients with difficult-to-manage asthma.
IRAS ID
173692
Contact name
Ramesh Kurukulaaratchy
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
The symptoms of asthma are distressing, with recurrent episodes of wheezing, chest tightness and breathlessness. During episodes of breathlessness, many patients with asthma experience anxiety which exacerbates/enhances stress. Patients with severe and poorly controlled asthma (PCA) have many more symptoms when compared to those with better controlled disease; this is associated with greater anxiety, impaired thought processes and impaired coping mechanisms.
An intervention focused on awareness of bodily sensations and emotions in a calm and accepting way, with particular attention to breathing pattern, could potentially help people with PCA, and one possible such intervention is mindfulness training. Mindfulness-based training has successfully helped patients with a range of other diseases, including chronic pain, anxiety and depression. Mindfulness is typically delivered in a weekly group practise lead by an experienced professional (lasting one hour), with daily ‘homework’ practise that patients can complete in their own time. The current study aims to develop a short mindfulness-meditation intervention (4 weekly sessions with daily homework practise) for 20 patients from the Southampton General Hospital ‘difficult asthma’ clinics. The study will use focus groups and questionnaires to determine whether a mindfulness intervention can be successfully delivered (and is acceptable) to patients with PCA. An evaluation of the mindfulness intervention will help create a realistic and cost-effective model to use within an NHS context.
The study also aims to examine how mindfulness interventions effect change within clinical populations, using questionnaire and computer measures delivered before and after the intervention. Similar work has previously been done in other populations (anxiety/chronic pain/depression), with evidence that mindfulness helps patients’ cognitive and attentional processes. Estimates of effect size will help inform appropriately powered randomised controlled trials with the long term aim of introducing a mindfulness-based intervention into NHS practise.
REC name
South Central - Berkshire B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/SC/0522
Date of REC Opinion
12 Oct 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion