The impact of sport on the physical, psychological and social wellbeing of people with chronic breathlessness: A mixed-methods systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: Sport participation may have quality-of-life benefits for people with chronic breathlessness; however, its feasibility and impact on health are unknown. We aimed to synthesise the scientific literature concerning the impact of sport for people with chronic breathlessness. DATA SOURCES: Searches of MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Embase, SPORTDiscus and Google Scholar were conducted (May 2023). REVIEW METHODS: Studies were included if they assessed the impact of sport with participants who were likely to suffer from chronic breathlessness due to an underlying condition (e.g. severe asthma, heart failure). A convergent-segregated approach to synthesis in accordance with the JBI methodology for mixed-methods reviews was utilised, including meta-analytic and meta-aggregation analyses. RESULTS: A total of 22 studies met the inclusion criteria. Studies sampled 1017 participants from 13 different countries, with sample sizes ranging from 5 to 185. Causes of breathlessness consisted of chronic respiratory diseases (9 studies) and coronary heart disease (13 studies). Design-wise, 18 reported quantitative methods, 3 qualitative, and 1 mixed-methods. CONCLUSIONS: Sports were well-adhered to with only minor/unrelated adverse events reported. Improvements in exercise capacity were observed although there was no impact on health-related quality of life. Other quantitative outcomes extracted varied widely across studies, making it difficult to draw firm conclusions. Participation in sports was reliably recorded at intensity consistent with moderate-to-vigorous activity despite being self-paced. Qualitative themes emphasised the positive elements of sport participation, namely, social cohesion, the capacity to incorporate culture, and the idea that participation is enjoyable rather than a necessary chore to maintain one's health.

Acceptability and feasibility of virtual reality to promote health literacy in primary care from the health professional's view: A qualitative study.

OBJECTIVE: The development of health literacy is important in the management of chronic pain and virtual reality may be an effective medium for its development. This study aims to understand the usability and acceptability of a virtual reality-based pain education system for the facilitation of health literacy. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with health professionals who had used a VR-based pain education system within their clinical practice, to explore perceptions of feasibility. Data collection and analyses were informed by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology and the Integrated Model of Health Literacy. RESULTS: From 10 participants, the VR-based system was considered feasible in providing immersive experiential learning which addressed patient understanding and health-related communication. CONCLUSION: VR appears to be perceived as an acceptable and feasible technology to support the development of health literacy in people with chronic pain. Its largest perceived benefit was its capacity to provide an immersive and entertaining alternative to conventional methods of pain education. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Virtual reality is considered as a feasible method of facilitating patient understanding and health-related communication related to chronic pain. Feasibility of such a tool relies clinically on time available, social expectations of VR, and the role of immersive and experiential learning within the management of chronic pain.