Patient perspectives on ultrasound-guided interventions in respiratory medicine: an international, mixed-methods study

Background: In recent decades the use of thoracic ultrasound (US) in respiratory medicine has expanded, moving from the near-exclusive domain of radiologists to an indispensable tool for clinicians in the diagnosis and management of respiratory disease. Despite the increase in the number of US-guided interventions being carried out there is a dearth of papers exploring the patient perspectives of these procedures. This study, which was part of a European Respiratory Society (ERS) Task Force on US-guided interventions, aimed to explore patient perspectives on these interventions from people with lived experience. Methods: As part of the ERS Task Force on US-guided interventions in respiratory medicine a survey was completed by 37 patients and in-depth semistructured interviews were conducted with three patients about their experiences of US-guided thoracic procedures, including thoracentesis, chest drain insertion, indwelling pleural catheter insertion and percutaneous lung biopsy. Results: Key findings showed that time to discuss and having an opportunity to ask questions prior to the procedure was valued by patients; patients would prefer not to have the procedure on the ward; communicating throughout the procedure was calming and reassuring; and, finally, patients were worried about accidently removing their chest drains and found it difficult to get comfortable with a chest drain inserted. Conclusions: This small study revealed a number of important considerations for patients when carrying out these commonly performed US-guided procedures. These should be taken into account by healthcare professionals and providers. More qualitative work is needed to better understand the patient perspectives of these procedures.