Background Breathlessness is a distressing and debilitating symptom that affects many people with advanced disease. It negatively impacts quality of life, wellbeing and functional status (Tanaka, Akechi, Okuyama, et al. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2002;23(5):417–23). Our hospice provides ‘Confidence with Breathlessness’ workshops, based on the Cambridge Breathing-Thinking-Functioning model (Farquhar, Prevost, McCrone, et al. BMC Med. 2014; 12:194). There is a focus on increasing confidence to manage breathlessness and increased participation and independence in everyday activities important to each person. Evidence of the impacts of such services is limited.

Aim To assess the impact of the workshops on confidence levels to manage breathlessness and daily activity levels.

Method A mixed method study incorporating workshop redesign, from two sessions to one session to improve access and evaluation. Confidence to manage breathlessness and to participate in patient-selected activities was assessed before and four weeks following the workshop using a 0–10 Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) from ‘not confident at all’ to ‘completely confident’ (Marsh-Richard, Hatzis, Mathias, et al. Behavior Research Methods. 2009;41(1):99–106). Open free-text comments on the workshop, including any differences on daily life, were collected on forms and during follow-up phone calls.

Results During an 18-month period from June 2022 forty-nine patients attended workshops and provided outcome data, of whom 46 provided free-text comments. Confidence to manage breathlessness scores increased from 4.6 (SD 1.5) to 7.2 (SD 1.3) points, with a mean change of +2.6 (SD 2.0). Activity levels increased from 3.7 (SD 1.9) to 5.6 (SD 2.5) points with a mean change of +1.9 (SD 3.1).

Patients fed back ‘I feel it’s given me a positive outlook on managing day to day activities and confidence in managing the future’ and ‘Positive attitude to improvements I can do to help my breathing and life’.

Conclusion The ‘Confidence with Breathlessness’ workshops appeared to have a positive impact on confidence to manage breathlessness during, and participation in, daily activity levels. Future work should explore which aspects are most valued by patients.