Understanding Dyspnoea in Patients with Heart Failure in the Community
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Understanding Breathlessness in Patients with Heart Failure in the Community
IRAS ID
209274
Contact name
Joanna Grogono
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
The aim of the project is to gain a better understanding of how much and how unpleasant breathlessness is in patients living with heart failure in the community and how this might vary during the day. How breathlessness occurs in chronic heart failure is not clearly understood. Breathlessness is frightening, reduces quality of life and can affect the will to live and can predict death within 8 years. Over 50% of patients with heart failure experience daily breathlessness and this affects their quality of life by restricting activities. This research by Barnes et al. used the Kansas Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire which covered all symptoms, not specifically related to breathlessness. In 2010 a new questionnaire was developed focussing on breathlessness called the ‘Dyspnoea-12’ (D-12). This questionnaire provides a total score for breathlessness that takes account of both physical and emotional aspects.
This study will involve 100 consecutively identified patients with heart failure who will be sent 21 Dyspnoea-12 questionnaires to complete 3 times a day (morning, midday and evening) for 7 days. Once the week is complete we will ask them to return all of their questionnaires in the stamped addressed envelope that will have been included with the original letter. The data will then be analysed to see if patients’ breathlessness in the community setting corresponds to their clinical assessment of their heart failure. It will also be possible to see if breathlessness is worse at certain times of day.REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - South Yorkshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/YH/0360
Date of REC Opinion
16 Aug 2016
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion