Group-based BCST for Patients with RCC

Abstract Background Refractory Chronic Cough (RCC) is a highly prevalent condition that affects millions of individuals globally. RCC can be effectively treated with behavioral cough suppression therapy (BCST) provided by specialty trained speech- language pathologists (SLP). Access to BCST is a problem due to limited numbers of BCST providers, long travel distances, transportations costs, etc. Research has shown BCST to be effective via telehealth. Group-based BCST would help treat numerous patients with RCC at once, addressing the problem of access to a BCST provider. Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of group BCST for patients with RCC. Methods Adults with RCC completed group-based BCST via telehealth. Participants completed the Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ), a validated patient-reported outcome measure, pre- post treatment, as well as one month post treatment. Two separate groups led by a BCST clinician met weekly for group-based BCST sessions. Sessions were delivered through Zoom and each group consisted of 4-5 participants. Each participant attended an average of 4-6 sessions. BCST primarily focused on education about RCC and instruction in cough suppression techniques. Results Fifty-three individuals enrolled. Forty-eight participants completed the entirety of the treatment. Most of the participants were female (47/53) with an average age of 58. Mean change in LCQ was 7.4, which is nearly double of that found across multiple studies on individual BCST. The treatment effect was maintained at one-month post treatment. Conclusion The findings of this study suggest that group-based BCST may be even better than individual BCST.