The effects of breathing exercises and inhaler training in patients with COPD on the severity of dyspnea and life quality: a randomized controlled trial

Background Severe dyspnea and poor quality of life are common in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The most important reason for this is wrong applications in inhaler treatment. In addition, inhaler treatments that support non-pharmacological methods increase the effectiveness of the drug. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of breathing exercises and inhaler training for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients on the severity of dyspnea and life quality. Methods The research was a randomized controlled trial. A total of 67 patients with COPD were included. The patients were randomized into two groups. Intervention group 1 were given pursed lip breathing exercise and inhaler training and Intervention group 2 were given only inhaler training. A follow-up after 4 weeks was carried out in both groups. Patient outcomes in both groups were assessed by a COPD assessment test (CAT), the Modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) scale, and the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire scale (SGRQ). This study followed the CONSORT checklist for randomized controlled trials. In the data analysis, independent t, Mann-Whitney U, ANOVA, Wilcoxon analysis, and Pearson chi-square tests were used. Results The pursed lips exercise and inhaler drug use skills of patients in both groups increased (p<0.001). The median value of the CAT and mMRC scores were statistically significant for both groups (p<0.005). The mean of life quality scores of patients in both groups decreased, and this result was found to be statistically significant in all sub-dimensions and in the total scale score for both groups (p<0.001). Although the increase in the quality of life and the decrease in the severity of dyspnea of the patients in both groups were significant, neither group was superior to the other (p>0.05). Conclusions As a result of the study, it was found that the skill of using the inhaler and the life quality of the patients increased, and the severity of dyspnea decreased. Supporting inhaler treatments with non-pharmacological methods can increase drug efficacy and quality of life.