Chronic respiratory disease
-
Pulmonary rehabilitation and palliative care are two important components of the integrated care of the patient with chronic respiratory disease such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). These two interventions are remarkably similar in many respects. Both utilize a multidisciplinary team that focuses on the specific needs of the individual patient. ⋯ Components of pulmonary rehabilitation and palliative care should be administered as part of good medical care. Both pulmonary rehabilitation and palliative care are currently underutilized in the respiratory patient, and often provided relatively late in the patient's clinical course. The case provided illustrates the often-overwhelming symptom burden of advanced COPD and demonstrates opportunities for the application of these twin interventions.
-
Patients with lung cancer experience significant symptom burden, particularly symptoms of a respiratory nature. Such symptom burden can be distressing for patients and negatively impact their functional status and quality of life. The aim of this review is to evaluate studies of nonpharmacological and noninvasive interventions for the management of respiratory symptoms experienced by patients with lung cancer. ⋯ Lack of consistency between studies impinged on the ability to combine studies. It is not possible to draw any firm conclusion as to the effectiveness of nonpharmacological interventions for the management of respiratory symptoms in lung cancer. Nonpharmacological interventions may well have an important role to play in the management of some of the respiratory symptoms (or combinations of respiratory symptoms), but more work of higher quality is necessary in the future.