***TASK***
the task is to simplify the input abstract of a biomedical literature

***INPUT***
the input is the abstract of a biomedical literature

***OUTPUT***
the output is the simplified abstract for the input abstract of a biomedical literature

***DOCUMENTATION***

***EXAMPLES***

Input: We identified three prospective RCTs for inclusion in this review (319 participants available to assess the primary outcome of anxiety). The studies included people from the outpatient setting, with the majority of participants being male. All three studies assessed psychological therapy (cognitive behavioural therapy) plus co-intervention versus co-intervention alone. We assessed the quality of evidence contributing to all outcomes as low due to small sample sizes and substantial heterogeneity in the analyses. Two of the three studies had prespecified protocols available for comparison between prespecified methodology and outcomes reported within the final publications. We observed some evidence of improvement in anxiety over 3 to 12 months, as measured by the Beck Anxiety Inventory (range from 0 to 63 points), with psychological therapies performing better than the co-intervention comparator arm (mean difference (MD) -4.41 points, 95% confidence interval (CI) -8.28 to -0.53; P = 0.03). There was however, substantial heterogeneity between the studies (I2 = 62%), which limited the ability to draw reliable conclusions. No adverse events were reported. We found only low-quality evidence for the efficacy of psychological therapies among people with COPD with anxiety. Based on the small number of included studies identified and the low quality of the evidence, it is difficult to draw any meaningful and reliable conclusions. No adverse events or harms of psychotherapy intervention were reported. A limitation of this review is that all three included studies recruited participants with both anxiety and depression, not just anxiety, which may confound the results. We downgraded the quality of evidence in the 'Summary of findings' table primarily due to the small sample size of included trials. Larger RCTs evaluating psychological interventions with a minimum 12-month follow-up period are needed to assess long-term efficacy.
Output:

This systematic review found three studies with a total of 319 participants with COPD and coexisting anxiety. All three studies assessed psychotherapy (CBT) with a co-intervention, versus the co-intervention alone. There was limited evidence showing some improvements in reduced levels of anxiety and improved quality of life in the psychotherapy group. It is important to note that the overall quality of the evidence was low and hence further research is needed to increase our confidence in this effect. A limitation of this review is that all three included studies recruited participants with both anxiety and depression, not just anxiety, which may confound the results. Further research is needed to establish whether this therapy will reduce hospital admissions and length of hospital stays, as this was not assessed in the current evidence base. Larger studies of longer duration need to be conducted. There are at least two more clinical trials currently ongoing for this question. Once they are published, the evidence from them could increase or decrease our confidence in the findings of this review.