Many end-of-life patients experience difficulty breathing. Since breathlessness can occur at any time, early detection is critical. From April to August 2023, Dover Park Hospice (DPH) tested Respiree™, a wireless breath-cardio informatics device, on 40 inpatients with varying prognosis . Preliminary research results are quite encouraging and DPH plans to expand the scale of the research in collaboration with Tan Tock Seng Hospital, with a view towards making this a standard of care for all palliative patients eventually.

In addition to terminally-ill patients, some patients with lung or heart disease may also have difficulty breathing. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, DPH has been supporting such patients with “RISE”, a comprehensive respiratory assistance programme. The 3-month programme includes self-management of disease and dyspnea symptoms, how to use medications and equipment, managing stress and anxiety.

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