PPF40 A qualitative exploration of anxiety and breathlessness in patients with advanced chronic respiratory disease receiving specialist palliative care

<h3>Background</h3> Chronic respiratory diseases (CRD), such as COPD and ILD, are characterised by severe, progressive breathlessness. This is commonly associated with significant psychological symptom burden, which can be challenging to recognise and address. Many palliative care services offer bespoke breathlessness services to support people living with these symptoms. The aim of this analysis was explore the lived experiences of anxiety related to breathlessness in patients who are receiving specialist palliative care for CRD. <h3>Methods</h3> This qualitative exploration formed part of a mixed-methods feasibility study of a novel intervention. Participants receiving specialist palliative care for CRD at two UK hospice sites engaged in semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. <h3>Results</h3> <h3>Three key organising themes emerged</h3> 1) Understanding my breathlessness – participants described their breathlessness as progressive, frightening, and restrictive. 2) Understanding my anxiety – described as emotional distress with a profound physical component, often compounded by external life stressors. 3) Vicious circle interlinks breathlessness and anxiety – a circular bi-directional relationship where anxiety could not be separated from breathlessness. Participants often employed non-pharmacological strategies to manage both their anxiety and breathlessness interdependently. <h3>Conclusions</h3> Our findings demonstrate the interdependency between anxiety and breathlessness for patients with a range of CRD diagnoses. The shared symptom experience across a range of CRD supports the value of unified management approaches to these two symptoms in specialist palliative care breathlessness clinics.