Development and Validation of an Evidence-Based Breathing Exercise Intervention Protocol for Chronic Pain Management in Breast Cancer Survivors.

BACKGROUND: Breathing exercise has been utilized as a promising approach to pain management in cancer survivors. However, the development process of the breathing exercise intervention protocol was rarely reported.

AIM: To develop an evidence-based breathing exercise intervention protocol for chronic pain management in breast cancer survivors and to provide a detailed account of the intervention development process.

METHODS: The study design was guided by the Medical Research Council Framework for Developing and Evaluating Complex Intervention. The breathing exercise intervention development process adopted phase one of the Medical Research Council Framework for Developing and Evaluating Complex Intervention framework. The content validity index was applied to determine the consensus of the appropriateness of the breathing exercise intervention protocol among the panel experts.

RESULTS: The preliminary breathing exercise intervention protocol was developed based on fight-or-flight theory and vagus nerve theory, and the best available research evidence identified from seven systematic reviews, three clinical trials, and four practice recommendations. The breathing exercise intervention was designed as slow deep pursed-lip breathing with a time ratio of inspiration to expiration 1:2-3. The intensity of the breathing exercise was determined as 3 to 5 sessions a day, 5 minutes per session, for 4 weeks. The content validity of the breathing exercise intervention protocol was excellent as consensus was achieved among all panel experts with both the item-level and scale-level CVIs reaching 1.0.

CONCLUSIONS: This study developed an evidence-based breathing exercise intervention protocol for chronic pain management in breast cancer survivors. The protocol is well-supported by the relevant theories, research evidence, practice recommendations, and experts' consensus.