Abstract Speech and language therapy (SLT) has been reported to be effective in managing refractory chronic cough. However, limited accessibility and the need for specialized personnel restrict its widespread use. We developed a simplified, self-administered SLT program (“Self-SLT”) that patients can perform at home. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and potential symptom improvement of Self-SLT in patients with refractory chronic cough. Five patients with refractory chronic cough were instructed on Self-SLT using an illustrated pamphlet and received a brief 5-minute in-person training session. They were then asked to perform the exercises at home for 4-6 weeks. Adherence was confirmed through diaries or verbal reports. Outcomes were assessed before and after intervention, including cough visual analog scale (VAS), Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ), Japanese version of the Newcastle Laryngeal Hypersensitivity Questionnaire (J-NLHQ), and the F-scale (a Japanese questionnaire for assessing symptoms related to gastroesophageal reflux disease GERD). The Global Evaluation of Treatment Effectiveness (GETE) was used for overall response. Four of five participants completed the program. Two maintained 100% adherence. GETE scores were rated as “good” in 3 cases, “moderate” in 1, and “poor” in 1. The mean VAS score decreased from 44.4 to 36.5. All three patients with available LCQ data showed improvement (Case 1: 9.17→11.13; Case 2: 18.18→19.27; Case 3: 11.04→13.57). Four participants (80%) expressed willingness to continue the program. The Self-SLT program demonstrated high feasibility, good adherence, and positive patient acceptance among individuals with refractory chronic cough. This self-directed approach may complement traditional SLT, particularly in regions with limited access to speech-language pathologists. Further studies with larger cohorts and objective cough monitoring are warranted. This abstract is funded by: None
Ohkura et al. (Fri,) studied this question.