Introduction Prolonged waiting times significantly limited access to our respiratory physiotherapy service for cough control therapy. In response, we developed a vi rtual p hysiotherapy group intervention for individuals with chronic cough ( ViP-Cough) to improve accessibility. This paper describes the uptake and potential benefits of this novel approach. Methods A service evaluation utilising a retrospective observational cohort study design involving patients with chronic cough referred to a single-centre respiratory physiotherapy service. All referrals were assessed by a specialist physiotherapist and offered access to ViP-Cough, a single-session virtual group intervention comprising: (1) education and lifestyle advice; (2) cough control strategies; and (3) breathing pattern retraining and vocal hygiene. Patients completed outcome measures at baseline and four weeks post-intervention, including Numerical Rating Scales (NRS) for cough severity, frequency, and impact on daily activities (0–10; higher scores indicating worse outcomes), and confidence in self-management (0–10; higher scores indicating better outcomes). Descriptive statistics and paired samples t-tests were used for analysis. Results Of the 194 patients referred (median age 61; 79% female), 70% reported cough duration >5 years. Of those screened, 155 (80%) opted in; 116 attended, and 106 completed all assessments. Significant improvements were observed in cough severity (mean difference (95% CI) −1.26, (−0.82, −1.70 p<0.001), frequency (−1.19, (−0.79, −1.60), p<0.001), impact on daily life (−1.16, (−0.23, −1.61), p<0.001), and confidence in self-management (+2.16 (1.64, 2.68), p<0.001). Conclusion ViP-Cough is a promising, scalable, and low-cost approach to delivering non-pharmacological cough therapy. These preliminary findings support further evaluation in a randomised controlled trial.
Reilly et al. (Thu,) studied this question.