Abstract
Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive interstitial lung disease of unknown cause with an average life expectancy of 3 years. The physical and psychological needs of these patients are largely underappreciated.
The Sheffield Profile for the Assessment and Referral for Care is a multi-faceted health assessment, covering physical, psychological and social needs. A previous report on a selected population in a clinical study found significant unrecognised concerns using this questionnaire. We used this on an unselected group of IPF patients to see if this reflected clinical practice.
Methods: Patients attending the clinic from August to October 2015 who had a confirmed diagnosis of IPF were asked to complete the assessment. It has 45 questions with severity marked from not at all, to a little, quite a bit and very much. Results were analysed by simple descriptive statistics.
Results: A total of 114 questionnaires were collated. The most significant symptoms reported were breathlessness, cough and fatigue, with most experiencing insomnia and weight change A significant number were anxious, with low mood and a feeling that everything is an effort. At least 28% were concerned by the effect on their sex life.
% little or > | % Quite a bit or > | |
Dry mouth | 68.0 | 38.0 |
SOB | 97.4 | 70.0 |
Cough | 90.7 | 54.6 |
Fatigue | 89.8 | 58.3 |
Insomnia | 64.1 | 31.1 |
Weight change | 64.6 | 30.3 |
Anxiety | 60.0 | 20.9 |
Low mood | 60.6 | 20.9 |
Effort | 73.8 | 43.9 |
Sexual | 28.4 | 20.0 |
Death | 33.0 | 9.0 |
Household | 49.5 | 29.1 |
Effect on others | 73.6 | 38.7 |
Discussion
This study demonstrates a number of physical and psychological issues experienced by an unselected group of patients with IPF. We are now planning specific interventions to target these issues.
- Copyright ©the authors 2016