Nat-ILD

Here in the Wolfson Palliative Care Research Centre, we aim to help patients who have fibrosis of the lungs.

We have developed a needs-assessment tool aimed to help doctors, nurses and respiratory/lung clinics to ask patients and carers about how their conditions are affecting their quality and life, to ensure their needs are dealt with effectively.

We adapted the needs assessment tool in cancer to focus on the patient concerns important in interstitial lung disease (ILD).

When different ILD doctors used the NAT:ILD to assess patient and carer need, they each identified a similar range of needs. When the NAT:ILD was used in clinic, the doctors were able to identify most of the issues reported separately to researchers by patients.

ILD doctors, nurses and physiotherapists said the NAT:ILD was welcome and needed. However, they would need extra training to use it and the way clinics are run would need to be changed to allow more time.

Download the NAT-ILD tool

The NAT-ILD copyrighted tool is available to download.

Outputs and resources

1. Johnson MJ, Jamali A, Ross J, Fairhurst C, Boland JW, Reigada C, Hart SP, Grande G, Currow DC, Wells A, Bajwah S, Bland JM, Yorke J. Psychometric validation of the Needs Assessment Tool: Progressive Disease in Interstitial Lung Disease. Thorax 2018;73:880-883
2. Reigada C, Papadopoulos A, Boland J, Yorke J, Ross J, Currow DC, Bajwah S, Grande G, Wells A, Johnson MJ. Implementation of the Needs Assessment Tool for Interstitial Lung Disease Patients (NAT:ILD): Facilitators and Barriers. Thorax 2017; 72: 1049 – 1051
3. Boland JW, Reigada C, Yorke J, Hart SP, Bajwah S, Ross J, Wells A, Papadopoulos A, Currow DC, Grande G, Macleod U, Johnson MJ. The Adaptation, Face, and Content Validation of a Needs Assessment Tool: Progressive Disease for People with Interstitial Lung Disease. J Palliat Med. 2016 May 1; 19(5): 549–555
4. NICE has endorsed the tool as part of its Interstitial Pulmonary Fibrosis guidance:
   • Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in adults [QS79]
   • Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in adults: diagnosis and management [CG163]