Guidance for the effective use of this modality advises a distance of 10-20 cm (average 15 cm) from the face, airflow along the nose and lip (ensuring that the sides of the nose and the upper lip are exposed to the draught), trial for 3-5 minutes and encourage combination with other relaxation techniques for short-term relief.

Comfort rather than change in objective physiological parameters may be used as a measure of effectiveness.

Possible scenarios where the use of this intervention becomes inappropriate include subjective dislike of the draught sensation, possibility of worsening cough due to draught, and aerosolization based worsening of droplet infection.

References

Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. (2021).
Using a handheld fan to help with breathlessness (Patient information leaflet). Cambridge, UK.

Qian, Y., Wu, Y., Rozman de Moraes, A., Jin, H., Zhang, H., & Zhao, J. (2019).
Fan therapy for the treatment of dyspnea in adults: A systematic review. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 58(3), 481–486.e1.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2019.05.015

Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. (2019).
Breathlessness: Non-drug treatments for patients with advanced illness. London, UK.