Effectiveness of Deep Breathing Exercises vs Incentive Spirometry on Pulmonary Function among Patients with Chronic Airflow Limitation

A study to evaluate the effectiveness of deep breathing exercises vs. incentive spirometry on pulmonary function among patients with chronic airflow limitation with the primary objectives were to compare the effect of incentive spirometry vs. deep breathing exercises on pulmonary function test in patients with chronic airflow limitation and to seek association between post intervention FEV₁/FVC% values and selected demographic variables i.e. age, gender, duration of illness, smoking history.

After the ethical clearance from the Institutional Review Board was obtained. The conceptual framework adopted was Dorothea E. Orem's Self- Care Deficit Theory of Nursing. The research approach selected for the study was quantitative approach with “two group post- test only design”. Samples were selected by using convenient sampling from among patients with airflow limitation who were taking treatment on COPD basis in Metro group of hospitals, Noida were allocated in the two groups respectively. The exercises practiced by group I was deep breathing exercises and group II practiced incentive spirometry.

The mean post FEV ₁ score in group I (2.23) was slightly higher than the mean post FEV₁ score in group I (2.16) with a mean difference of 0.07. The obtained‘t’ value was found to be statistically not significant at 0.05 level of significance. This indicates that both deep breathing exercises and incentive spirometry are equally effective on FEV₁. The mean post test FVC values in group I (3.31) was higher than the mean post FVC values in group I (3.19) with a mean difference of 0.12. The obtained‘t’ value was found to be statistically not significant at 0.05 level of significance. This indicates that both deep breathing exercises and incentive spirometry are equally effective on FVC. The mean post test FEV ₁/FVC % values in group I (67.867) was slightly higher than the mean post FEV ₁/FVC values in group I (67.167) with a mean difference of 0.7. The obtained‘t’ value was found to be statistically not significant at 0.05 level of significance. This indicates that both deep breathing exercises and incentive spirometry are equally effective on FEV₁, FVC and FEV _1/FVC % values. There was no significant association between post intervention FEV ₁/FVC % values pain score and any selected demographic variables in group II but there was significant association between post intervention FEV ₁/FVC % values and age in group I.

Both deep breathing exercises and incentive spirometry are equally effective on PFT in patients with chronic airflow limitation.