Abstract

The United States has some of the most expensive health care world wide, with an increase in chronic illness, poorer outcomes, and fragmentation of care. Patients seek integrative or alternative methods of care in order to participate and improve their own health outcomes. Promoting cost effective, useful, and safe tools for patients to learn during an office visit allows patients to participate in their own care for improved health. The clinical question for this systematic review is: What is the evidence for teaching breathing techniques in primary care to improve health outcomes? Evidence in the literature shows that while breath is vital for life, trained breathing techniques improve health care outcomes such as GERD, anxiety, diabetes, autonomic nervous system disorders, hypertension, pain, immune function, and oxidative stress as evidenced in this review. This systematic review uses the PRISMA approach, analyzing integrity and value of each article based on seven criteria: title, abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, and findings. Opportunities for further research are discussed regarding breathing techniques and improved health outcomes.

Key words: breath, breath work, breathing exercises, "breath* technique*" AND health*, diaphragmatic, yoga, pranayama, autonomic nervous system, GERD, hypertension, anxiety, diabetes, pain, immunity, oxidative stress.

Author Details

Kathleen Rickard, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, website: www.healgracefully.com; Dorothy J. Dunn, PhD., RNP, FNP-BC, AHN-BC, Virginia M. Brouch, EdD

Sigma Membership

Unknown

Lead Author Affiliation

Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA

Type

DNP Capstone Project

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

Systematic Review

Research Approach

Translational Research/Evidence-based Practice

Keywords:

Breath, Breath Technique, Health, Pranayama, Yoga, Autonomic Nervous System, Patient Outcome Assessment, Breathing Exercises

Advisor

Nogueras, Debra J.

Degree

DNP

Degree Grantor

Northern Arizona University

Degree Year

2014

Rights Holder

All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.

All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository.

All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.

Review Type

Faculty Approved: Degree-based Submission

Acquisition

Self-submission

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