Self‐care experiences of Pakistani patients with COPD and the role of family in self‐care: A phenomenological inquiry

Abstract

Self-care enables patients in improving quality of life and reducing hospital admissions. Research explored the experiences of patients about breathlessness, sleep problems and complication management in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, the self-care experiences and the role of the family in self-care are underexplored. This study aimed to understand the self-care experiences of patients with COPD and explore the role of the family in self-care. An interpretive phenomenological inquiry was used, and 13 patients were interviewed in 2019 from two hospitals in Pakistan. The inclusion criteria were patients above 30 years of age at any stage of COPD, who received a confirmed diagnosis of COPD and were receiving the treatment, and engaged in self-care at their homes or communities. The interviews lasted for 35-60 min. Ricoeur's interpretation theory was used for data analysis comprising steps explanation, naive understanding and in-depth understanding.Self-care emerged as a complex individual and familial endeavour affected by personal, social and economic factors. Poverty was one of the core determinants of self-care. Patients emphasised the spiritual, cultural and traditional approaches to self-care. Future research is warranted to develop better understanding of spiritual and cultural self-care and how these dimensions of self-care affect patients' self-care behaviours.

Social network participation towards enactment of self‐care in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A qualitative meta‐ethnography

“…People with COPD often seek information about their disease from their peers; through social participation, information is valued to stay abreast of symptoms. However, this may not always be clinically correct 34,36,38–40 …”

“…Close family and positive social structures can support the redistribution of personal and social work, such as cooking and cleaning. Positive relationships within social networks can facilitate discussion around the distribution or adaptation of daily tasks to improve the quality of life of someone with COPD 34–39 …”

“…In turn, a sense of loss is felt for their social position in the family or wider society (i.e., employment loss) 35 . The church and faith were viewed as having a positive role in the lives of Pacific Islander and Pakistani groups of people with COPD; these were reported to support emotional needs and family needs, and were hugely valued 34,36,38 …”

“…This suggests to people that smoking cessation may contribute to the deterioration of symptoms, lead to the risk of an earlier death and remove a valued activity (smoking). Therefore, people with COPD may dismiss smoking cessation as a viable self‐care option due to their experiential knowledge and the enjoyment they get from smoking, not the advice from a health professional 33,36,38 …”

“…">day‐to‐day social work‐based negotiations, 16,34–36 healthcare interactions, 33,35–40 social negotiations concerned with symptom interpretation and 34,35,38,40 …”