Unidimentional and Multidimensional Breathlessness Specific Instruments for Adult Population: Literature Review

Abstract

The aim of this review was to identify the psychometric properties and the appropriateness of the most frequently used measures of breathlessness to help the clinical health professionals and researchers to select the appropriate one in treating patients.

A literature search was performed using EBSCO host, Ovid, Science Direct, and Springer Link databases. Eighteen measures of breathlessness were identified, five of them were unidimentional and thirteen were multidimensional breathlessness-specific measures. None of the measures were comprehensive or responsive enough to be recommended for use alone to measure breathlessness. It seems wise to integrate and validate the present measures rather than developing new ones.

Keywords: breathlessness measures; health; nursing; psychometrics.