Preference for different relaxation techniques by COPD patients: comparison between six techniques

Abstract

BackgroundA review of the effectiveness of relaxation techniques for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients has shown inconsistent results, but studies have varied in terms of technique and outcome measures.AimTo determine patient preference for different relaxation techniques.MethodsChronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients were presented with six techniques via a DVD and asked to rate the techniques in terms of effectiveness, rank in order of likely use, and comment.ResultsPatients differed in the technique preferred and reason for that preference, but the most commonly preferred technique both for effectiveness and ease of use was “thinking of a nice place” followed by progressive relaxation and counting. Familiarity and ease of activity were commonly given reasons for preference.ConclusionRather than providing patients with a single technique that they might find difficult to implement, these results suggest that it would be better to give a choice. “Thinking of a nice place” is a popular but under-investigated technique.

Tailoring Self-Help Mindfulness and Relaxation Techniques for Stroke Survivors: Examining Preferences, Feasibility and Acceptability

“…They were also difficult to concentrate on and hard to do particularly for survivors with communication difficulties. Our results are comparable to a previous study that used similar psychological techniques among a sample of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (Hyland et al, 2016). Like stroke survivors, participants with COPD preferred thinking of a nice place and body relaxation.…”

“…Participants also commented on the particular benefit of having a combination of different techniques: they could select the one(s) that suited them best. This provides support to the suggestion that techniques that have multiple component as opposed to being single-component are better suited to patients and more beneficial (Spence et al, 1999; Hyland et al, 2016).…”

“…Seven techniques were selected to represent the variety of commonly used forms of mindfulness and relaxation: Breath watch; Body relaxation; Counting; Word repetition; Positive emotions; Thinking of a nice place; and Body movement. These techniques had been used among people with other medical conditions (Hyland et al, 2016). In line with this previous study, techniques were filmed on a 20-min professionally produced DVD.…”

“…In fact, existing mindfulness and relaxation techniques are often poorly optimized for stroke survivors, especially those with communication difficulties (Lazaridou et al, 2013; Intercollegiate Stroke Working Party [ISWP], 2016). People are more likely to adhere to and practice techniques that are tailored to their needs and preferences (Hyland et al, 2016).…”

A Personalised Emotion-Based Model for Relaxation in Virtual Reality

“…It has been suggested in previous research that providing a personalised treatment would indeed improve the therapy, either in effectiveness or in user satisfaction [23]. In 1987, Graffam and Johnson [24] already did a comparative study between two relaxation strategies.…”