The Physiotherapy Assessment of Breathing Pattern Disorder

This study aims to evaluate a clinical tool called the Breathing Pattern Assessment Tool (BPAT), which is used by physiotherapists to assess breathing pattern disorder (BPD). BPD is a condition where breathing is inefficient or out of sync with the body's needs, leading to symptoms such as breathlessness. The study will investigate whether the BPAT is a reliable and accurate way to identify and assess BPD, and whether it can be used to monitor changes over time, particularly following physiotherapy treatment. It will also compare BPAT scores with other commonly used questionnaires that measure breathlessness and breathing symptoms. Participants will include patients with BPD, patients with asthma, and healthy individuals. Patients with BPD will attend physiotherapy sessions as part of their usual care, during which their breathing will be assessed using the BPAT at different time points, including before and after treatment. Healthy participants will attend a single assessment visit, and asthma participants' data will be collected from routine clinical care. The study will also explore whether BPAT scores change following treatment and whether these changes reflect improvements reported by patients and clinicians. In addition, a small number of patients and physiotherapists will be invited to take part in interviews to share their experiences of the assessment process and treatment. This will help understand whether the BPAT is acceptable and useful in clinical practice. Overall, this study aims to improve how breathing pattern disorder is assessed and monitored, which may help guide better treatment for patients in the future.