A qualitative study of women's experiences of living with COPD

Abstract

AimTo explore women's experiences of living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) at home.DesignAn explorative and descriptive qualitative design.MethodsA consecutive sample of nine women with COPD living at home. Data were collected in 2014 using semi‐structured interviews and analysed using a qualitative content analysis.ResultsThree main themes were identified: having a good life with COPD despite limitations; predictability and confidence in getting help; and the struggle to achieve a balance between insight and compliance with management of COPD. These women experienced limitations related to the traditional female role and felt unable to fulfil their own expectations. They experienced a good life despite limitations arising from adaptation and coping strategies. To feel safe, they needed to feel confident that they would receive the necessary help in case of exacerbation of their disease. To enhance compliance with COPD management, the women wanted education that provided specific suggestions.

Development of an educational intervention to reduce the burden of adult chronic lung disease in rural India: Inputs from a qualitative study

“…This disrupted their lives and their health behaviour. Such types of lived experiences were also reported by other studies among CRD patients, be it in the LMICs [15,17,30,[36][37][38] or in the developed world [39][40][41][42]. These experiences contributed to personal barriers to seeking treatment and adherence to treatment and hence overall physical and mental health outcomes [43,44].…”

Patients with COPD: Exploring patients’ coping ability during an interdisciplinary pulmonary rehabilitation programme: A qualitative focus group study

“…In the findings of Steindal et al (2017), some participants stated that they were unwilling to use a portable oxygen tank outdoors due to feeling embarrassed about their altered appearance. Disler et al (2016) indicate that the psychological impact of COPD led patients to live isolated lives.…”

The roles of dispositional coping style and social support in helping people with respiratory disease cope with a breathlessness crisis

“…Previous studies have shown patients with COPD who lived alone to experience worse outcomes than their counterparts who lived with others (Crockett, Cranston, Moss, & Alpers, ; Gudmundsson et al, ). Previous studies have also briefly reported friends and neighbours to assist with instrumental daily living in patients with COPD who live alone but did not explore how they can assist in managing or preparing for breathlessness crises (Ek, Sahlberg‐Blom, Andershed, & Ternestedt, ; Steindal et al, ; Wilson et al, ). One other qualitative study in community‐dwelling older adults echoes similar themes to our study's findings: older adults were reported less likely to enter the acute care system if they were engaged in informal networks such as their peers and neighbours (Cheek, Ballantyne, & Roder‐Allen, ).…”