1. The client/caregiver can list goals of effective breathing.
    1. To increase the expiration of air
    2. To decrease air trapping
    3. To increase lung expansion
    4. To decrease shortness of breath
  2. The client/caregiver can describe the procedure for diaphragmatic or abdominal breathing.
    1. Lie on your back with a pillow under your head and with knees slightly bent over a pillow.
    2. Clear airway passages first with coughing.
    3. Press one hand lightly on the abdomen, and rest the other hand on the chest.
    4. Breathe in slowly through your nose, letting your abdomen protrude.
    5. The hand on the stomach should rise during inspiration and fall during expiration while the hand on the chest should be almost still.
  3. The client/caregiver can demonstrate the procedure for pursed lip breathing.
    1. Breathe in slowly through the nose, counting to three while keeping your mouth shut.
    2. Exhale through pursed lips (as if blowing out a candle), counting to seven.
    3. Breathing out should take at least twice as long as breathing in.
    4. When doing pursed lip breathing during an activity, breathe in before exertion and breathe out doing the activity.
    5. The client/caregiver can demonstrate the procedure for counted breathing.
      1. Blow through a straw into a glass of water to form bubbles.
      2. Blow at a candle to bend the flame without blowing it out.
      3. Blow a tennis ball across a table at a steady pace.
  4. The client/caregiver can demonstrate the procedure for counted breathing.
    1. Assess the usual pattern of breathing by counting the seconds required for inspiration and the seconds required for expiration.
    2. Breathe out slowly, attempting to increase expiration time.
    3. Then breathing should be coordinated with walking by counting steps taken with inspiration and counting steps taken for each expiration.

References

Canobbio, M. M. (2006). Mosby’s handbook of patient teaching. St. Louis: Mosby Inc.Perry, A., & Potter, P. (2006). Clinical nursing skills & technique. St. Louis: Mosby Inc.Timby, B. K., & Smith, N. C. (2003). Introductory medical-surgical nursing (8th ed.). Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott

Credits

Client Teaching Guides for Home Health Care, 2nd ed.© 2008 Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Inc.www.jbpub.com

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