Patients with end-stage COPD did not ask for help because they felt normal and did not realise the situation could be improved.

摘要

QUESTION Why do patients with end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) not actively ask for help? DESIGN Qualitative study with semistructured interviews. SETTING Outpatient clinics in 4 hospitals and 1 specialist centre in the Netherlands. PATIENTS A purposeful sample of 11 patients 61-83 years of age (73% men) who had Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease stage IV COPD were identified from a sample of 82 patients from a quality of life study. METHODS In-depth semistructured interviews were conducted, each lasting 1.5-2.5 hours. The first question asked was "Can you describe a normal day?" Other topics included activities of daily living, medical and informal care, social support, stigmatisation, anxiety, and the future. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and analysed using an iterative process.