Results from an online survey of adults with cystic fibrosis: Accessing and using life expectancy information

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the one of the most common inherited diseases. It affects around 10,000 people in the UK, and the median survival age is 47. Recent developments making use of longitudinal patient registry data are producing more detailed and relevant information about predicted life expectancy in CF based on current age and clinical measurements. The objective of this study was toconduct an online survey of adults with CF living in the UK using a web-based questionnaire to investigate: (i) if and how they access information on life expectancy; (ii) what they use it for; (iii) if they want more personalised information on life expectancy or the time until other milestones. The survey was advertised through the Cystic Fibrosis Trust using social media. There were 85 respondents, covering men (39%) and women (61%) aged 16–65. 75% had received information on life expectancy either from their CF care team (34%) or other sources (71%), the most common being the Cystic Fibrosis Trust website and research literature. Most people who received information found it to be beneficial and reported using it in a variety of ways, including to plan strategies for maintaining as best health as possible and to psychologically manage current health status. 82% of respondents were interested in more personalised information about their life expectancy, and participants also noted interest in other outcomes, including time to needing transplant or reaching a low level of lung function. Themes arising in text responses included the importance of good communication of information, the difficulty of relating general information to one’s own circumstances, and a desire for increased information on factors that impact on survival in CF. As an outcome from this work, research is underway to establish how information on life expectancy can be presented to people with CF in an accessible way.