Why is the research needed?
Breathlessness affects around 1 in 10 adults and 1 in 4 people over 70, and its prevalence is increasing due to long‑term conditions such as heart and lung disease, as well as the lasting effects of COVID‑19. It is often distressing, disabling and frightening, leading to frequent GP visits and emergency calls, yet many healthcare professionals feel unable to offer effective support once underlying conditions have been treated. Although specialist breathlessness services exist and are effective, they are limited in availability, typically focused on people with advanced or end‑of‑life illness, and not accessible to the wider population.
This research is needed to adapt effective breathlessness support so it can be delivered in primary care, ensuring that many more people can access help earlier and regardless of diagnosis or disease stage.
What are we doing?
Our research aims to increase the support available for people living with chronic breathlessness and for their family carers. PrimaryBreathe is a five‑year programme developing and testing a treatment that does not involve additional medicines and can be delivered through local GP surgeries. The first stage focuses on co‑designing the treatment with patients, carers, clinicians and researchers, adapting existing specialist breathlessness support for use in general practice and ensuring it is practical, acceptable and effective.
The second stage tests the intervention across 33 general practices in five UK regions, involving over 300 participants. Patients and carers complete questionnaires over six months to assess outcomes. The final stage prepares for wider roll‑out by generating evidence and guidance for implementation and ensuring the intervention is accessible to people from all backgrounds.
How are we working with communities, services and organisations?
PrimaryBreathe is built on collaboration and co‑production, with patients and family carers actively involved in designing the treatment, general practice staff trained and supported to deliver the intervention, and public and patient representatives contributing throughout the programme. National and international organisations are engaged to support future dissemination, and the study includes diverse UK regions to ensure the approach works across different populations. In addition, we are involving 33 GP practices across five UK regions.
What will the impact and benefits of this research be?
We aim to improve quality of life for people living with breathlessness, help patients feel more in control of their symptoms, reduce fear, distress and disability, decrease GP visits and emergency admissions, enable earlier intervention rather than only end‑of‑life care, and provide a non‑drug‑based treatment option. This will be the first programme to make breathlessness support widely accessible, with the potential to benefit large populations both in the UK and internationally.
What do we have planned for knowledge mobilisation and implementation?
The programme includes a dedicated phase to support real‑world implementation, involving the development of evidence‑based guidance for general practice, engagement with patients, clinicians and health system stakeholders, collaboration with national and international organisations to share findings, and a focus on scalable delivery across UK general practices. The goal is not just to test the intervention but to ensure it can be widely adopted and sustained in routine care.
Related papers, outputs and resources
See the PrimaryBreathe study webpage
Anticipated outputs include:
- A tested and evidence-based PrimaryBreathe intervention
- Research findings on effectiveness and patient outcomes
- Implementation guidance for general practice
- Dissemination through national and international organisations
- Academic publications and practice-focused resources
Who is involved?
- Co-Lead Investigator: Dr Anna Spathis, University of Cambridge
- Co-Lead Investigator: Professor Jonathan Mant, University of Cambridge
- Professor Stephen Morris, University of Cambridge
- Professor Morag Farquhar, University of East Anglia (UEA)
- Professor Stephen Sutton, University of Cambridge
- Professor Stephen Barclay, University of Cambridge
- Professor Miriam Johnson, University of Hull
- Professor Joanne Reeve, University of Hull
- Dr Mark Pearson, University of Hull
- Dr Charles Reilly, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Professor Toby Prevost, Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Professor Irene Higginson, King’s College London
- Dr Matthew Maddocks, King’s College London
- Professor Natalie Armstrong, University of Leicester
- Dr Rachael Evans, University of Leicester
- Mrs Roberta Lovick, Public and Patient Involvement Representative
Get in contact
Email the research team at primarybreathe@medschl.cam.ac.uk.
Project MH57
Project PEOLC50
Project PEOLC49
Project PEOLC48
Project PEOLC47
Project PEOLC46