Evaluate the effectiveness of pursed lip breathing exercise on dyspnoea among chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients in selected hospitals of Mangalore and Karkala Taluk

Abstract Dyspnoea is the most frequent symptom of COPD. It has been suggested that dyspnoea is the single most important factor contributing to functional difficulties in COPD and is a better predictor of exercise tolerance and health related quality of life among COPD patients. A study on 131 participants with COPD revealed that 84% experienced severe dyspnoea, while 59% had at least one daily episode of dyspnea. Objectives: The objectives of the study are to; 1. To assess the pre-test dyspnoea score among experimental group and control group. 2. To assess the post-test dyspnoea score among experimental group and control group. 3. To evaluate the effectiveness of pursed lip breathing on the level of dyspnoea among experimental group. 4. Compare the level of dyspnoea between experimental group and control group. 5. Find the association between pretest dyspnoea score and selected demographic variables. Material and Methods: Research Approach: An evaluative research approach was adopted for the study Research Design: The research design adopted for the study was quasi experimental non-equivalent control group design. This design was adopted to assess the level of dyspnoea among COPD patients in selected hospitals of Mangalore and Karkala Taluk following the pursed lip breathing exercise. Results: The findings of the present study revealed that the ‘t’ value computed was highly significant (t (58) = 8.798, t (tab) = 1.670, p < 0.05). It shows that there was much reduction in dyspnoea among the experimental group as compared to the control group.