Unlocking the limitations: Living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and receiving care through telemedicine—A phenomenological study

Abstract

Aims and objectives: To describe the lived experiences of quality of life among a group of patients living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who were included in a telemedical intervention after hospitalisation for disease exacerbation.Background: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have high symptom burden, poor control of symptoms and a need for greater requirements in care.Telemedicine can provide benefits for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by improving self-management.Design: Descriptive phenomenological approach.Methods: Ten in-depth interviews were conducted with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients participating in a telemedical intervention. The collected data were analysed using a descriptive phenomenological research method.Results: Living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was experienced as creating physical and mental limitations of the diseased body and an increasing identity as a patient, which led to impaired quality of life. Being included in the telemedicine intervention increased accessibility to healthcare services and support from telemedicine nurses. Self-measurement of health data increased participants' clinical insight and created a mutual clinical language in dialogue with telemedicine nurses, which led to increased quality of life. However, receiving care through telemedicine was also experienced as a dual chore. Relevance to clinical practice: Telemedicine can be beneficial when rethinking care for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by providing knowledge on how living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can affect the experience of

A sense of belonging: A meta‐ethnography of the experience of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease receiving care through telemedicine

“…Firstly, TM care legitimized contact with an HCP when help was needed (Fairbrother et al, ; Gale & Sultan, ; Nissen & Lindhardt, ; Vatnøy et al, ). Secondly, it allowed patients’ regular contact with healthcare services (Huniche, Dinesen, Nielsen, Grann, & Toft, ; Vatnøy et al, ; Williams, Price, Hardinge, Tarassenko, & Farmer, ), providing them with peace of mind (Barken et al, ; Gale & Sultan, ) and increasing trust (Fairbrother et al, ; Vatnøy et al, ) and control (Mathar et al, ; Nissen & Lindhardt, ).…”

“…Availability of an HCP mediated by TM technology provided the patients with a more predictable daily life (Barken et al, ). Follow‐up by TM also led to a reduction in health care needs (Gorst et al, ), was more personal (Barken et al, ; Fairbrother et al, ), and was experienced as an improvement over standard care (Fairbrother et al, ; Gorst et al, ).…”

“…The experience of digital proximity was described as a feeling of being watched over (Fairbrother et al, ; Ure et al, ; Williams et al, ) that provided safety (Fitzsimmons et al, ) and reassurance (Fairbrother et al, ; Williams et al, ) and reduced worry and was explained as “sort of a lifeline” (Gorst et al, ). Digital proximity was further strengthened when performing video consultations as part of the TM intervention (Barken et al, ; Mathar et al, ; Nissen & Lindhardt, ; Vatnøy et al, ). Several patients experienced video consultation as being the centre of attention, which allowed closer contact with nurses (Nissen & Lindhardt, ) and compensated for not being in the same room (Barken et al, ; Vatnøy et al, ).…”

“…Digital proximity was further strengthened when performing video consultations as part of the TM intervention (Barken et al, ; Mathar et al, ; Nissen & Lindhardt, ; Vatnøy et al, ). Several patients experienced video consultation as being the centre of attention, which allowed closer contact with nurses (Nissen & Lindhardt, ) and compensated for not being in the same room (Barken et al, ; Vatnøy et al, ).…”

“…During the quality appraisal, we found limited reporting of ethics and descriptions of the analysis process in several studies, but most had a clear statement of findings. The study by Barken, Thygesen, and Söderhamn () was assessed for quality by two independent professors with extensive experience in qualitative research to provide an impartial evaluation. The study by Vatnøy, Thygesen, and Dale () was assessed for quality by TLB and US in view of the fact that ET was part of the original study.…”