A Protocol Paper On Nurse-Led Pulmonary Interventional Package on Pulmonary Function and Quality of Life Among Workers of Coal Mines with Respiratory Diseases in Jharkhand, India: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Coal mine dust lung disease (CMDLD) includes a spectrum of occupational lung diseases affecting coal miners. There is conclusive evidence that comprehensive intervention can reduce dyspnoea, improve exercise performance, and enhance health-related quality of life. Nurse-led interventions have shown great changes in disease burden on the healthcare system. So, a nurse-led pulmonary interventional package on respiratory disorders of coal mine workers can change the health status of coal miners. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a nurse-led pulmonary intervention package on pulmonary function and quality of life of coal miners with respiratory disorders. A randomized controlled trial will be conducted. Occupational health units will be cluster-randomized into intervention and control arms. Coal miners who meet the inclusion criteria will be recruited. The estimated sample size is 80(40 in each arm). The Nurse-led pulmonary intervention package comprises of an education session of 10 minutes and exercise training of 20 minutes. to be followed along with regular treatment for 3 months. Primary outcomes include pulmonary function and quality of life. Participants will be assessed at baseline and after the 12th week of post-intervention. The primary outcomes will be analysed using t test. The significance level will be set at two-sided p <0.05 and all statistical tests will be two-tailed. The study results will provide valuable evidence to inform future identification and evaluation of best approaches to implement nurse-led interventions for coal miners with occupational lung diseases.