Multicomponent services for symptoms in serious respiratory illness: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background People living with serious respiratory illness experience a high burden of symptoms. This review aimed to determine whether multicomponent services reduce symptoms in people with serious illness related to respiratory disease. Methods Electronic databases were searched to identify randomi...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Anna Spathis, Charles C. Reilly, Claudia Bausewein, Lynn F. Reinke, Lorena Romero, Natasha E. Smallwood, Magnus Ekström, Anne E. Holland
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: European Respiratory Society 2024-10-01
Series:European Respiratory Review
Online Access:http://err.ersjournals.com/content/33/174/240054.full
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Background People living with serious respiratory illness experience a high burden of symptoms. This review aimed to determine whether multicomponent services reduce symptoms in people with serious illness related to respiratory disease. Methods Electronic databases were searched to identify randomised controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating multicomponent services that enrolled patients due to symptoms, rather than underlying disease, and provided at least one nonpharmacological intervention. The primary outcome was chronic breathlessness and secondary outcomes were health-related quality of life (HRQoL), cough, fatigue and adverse events. At least two authors independently screened studies, assessed risk of bias and extracted data. Results Five RCTs, involving 439 patients, were included. In comparison to usual care, multicomponent services improved breathlessness mastery (Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire (CRQ) mastery scale, mean difference (MD) 0.43 points, 95% CI 0.20–0.67, three RCTs, 327 participants) and HRQoL (CRQ total score, MD 0.24 points, 95% CI 0.04–0.40, two RCTs, 237 participants). Fatigue did not improve with multicomponent services and no studies evaluated cough. No serious adverse events were reported. The one study evaluating mortality found increased survival in those accessing a multicomponent service. The certainty of evidence was very low, mainly due to detection and reporting bias. Conclusion Multicomponent services improve breathlessness mastery and HRQoL, with minimal risk. These findings support the use of multicomponent symptom-directed services for people living with serious respiratory illness.
ISSN:0905-9180
1600-0617