Poster Session #1: UC South Ballroom
Presentation Type
Poster
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
Laurie Slovarp
Faculty Mentor’s Department
Communicative Sciences and Disorders
Abstract / Artist's Statement
Chronic cough is a common condition that persists for more than eight weeks and accounts for millions of visits to physicians each year. Approximately 10-20% of patients with chronic cough do not respond to medical treatment. These patients, said to have refractory chronic cough (RCC), often respond to behavioral cough suppression therapy (BCST), provided by a speech-language pathologist (SLP). The purpose of this study was to determine if common factors exist that distinguish patients with RCC, who benefit from BCST from those who don’t benefit from BCST. The long-term goal of this research is to create a screening tool that physicians can use to identify candidates for BCST.
Forty three adults referred for BCST completed an enrollment survey at the beginning of therapy. The survey consisted of 52-items pertaining to cough onset factors, cough symptoms, and personality traits. Participants also completed the Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ), a validated measurement for assessing cough-related quality of life. A follow- up survey with similar questions regarding their cough status and changes in treatment was administered 3-4 weeks after beginning BCST. Thirty participants were satisfied following BCST (BCST-S); 13 were not satisfied (BCST-NS). There were significant differences between the two groups on: cough productivity, tight-throat feeling, symptoms of reflux, and stress as a cough trigger. Additionally patients in the BCST-S group described themselves as significantly more anxious and stressed than the patients in the BCST-NS group. The LCQ confirmed a significant improvement in the BCST-S group, but not the BCST-NS group.
The study indicates potential to create a valid screening tool that would assist with the identification of candidates for BCST. Such a tool could save considerable time and money for patients with RCC.
Category
Health and Medical Science
Patient-Reported Variables Associated with the Success of Behavioral Intervention for Patients with Chronic Cough
UC South Ballroom
Chronic cough is a common condition that persists for more than eight weeks and accounts for millions of visits to physicians each year. Approximately 10-20% of patients with chronic cough do not respond to medical treatment. These patients, said to have refractory chronic cough (RCC), often respond to behavioral cough suppression therapy (BCST), provided by a speech-language pathologist (SLP). The purpose of this study was to determine if common factors exist that distinguish patients with RCC, who benefit from BCST from those who don’t benefit from BCST. The long-term goal of this research is to create a screening tool that physicians can use to identify candidates for BCST.
Forty three adults referred for BCST completed an enrollment survey at the beginning of therapy. The survey consisted of 52-items pertaining to cough onset factors, cough symptoms, and personality traits. Participants also completed the Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ), a validated measurement for assessing cough-related quality of life. A follow- up survey with similar questions regarding their cough status and changes in treatment was administered 3-4 weeks after beginning BCST. Thirty participants were satisfied following BCST (BCST-S); 13 were not satisfied (BCST-NS). There were significant differences between the two groups on: cough productivity, tight-throat feeling, symptoms of reflux, and stress as a cough trigger. Additionally patients in the BCST-S group described themselves as significantly more anxious and stressed than the patients in the BCST-NS group. The LCQ confirmed a significant improvement in the BCST-S group, but not the BCST-NS group.
The study indicates potential to create a valid screening tool that would assist with the identification of candidates for BCST. Such a tool could save considerable time and money for patients with RCC.