Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Oct 4;3(4):00017-2017.
doi: 10.1183/23120541.00017-2017. eCollection 2017 Oct.

A qualitative study of patients' experiences of participating in SPACE for COPD: a Self-management Programme of Activity, Coping and Education

Lindsay D Apps  1 , Samantha L Harrison  1 , Katy E Mitchell  1 , Johanna E A Williams  1 , Nicky Hudson  2 , Sally J Singh  1
Affiliations

A qualitative study of patients' experiences of participating in SPACE for COPD: a Self-management Programme of Activity, Coping and Education

Lindsay D Apps et al. ERJ Open Res. .

Abstract

The aim of this study was to understand experiences of participation in a supported self-management programme for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). There is a wealth of clinical trials examining the outcomes of self-management interventions for individuals with COPD, but current understanding regarding patients' perspectives of such complex interventions is limited. Further insight may help to tailor self-management interventions and maximise patient engagement. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with individuals participating in a self-management programme, SPACE for COPD. Interviews took place at 6 weeks and 6 months following the programme. Data were analysed at each time point using inductive thematic analysis, and subsequently re-examined together. 40 interviews were undertaken and four themes emerged from the analysis: perceptions of the programme; lifestyle changes; social support; and disrupting factors and barriers to maintaining routines. SPACE for COPD was acceptable to participants in this study. The importance of education and social support was emphasised at both time points studied, but there were challenges such as comorbidities, ill health of family members and limited maintenance of exercise behaviours over the longer term. Further consideration of the role of carers and partners may help to improve adherence to self-management programmes once healthcare professional support has stopped.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: Disclosures can be found alongside this article at openres.ersjournals.com

References

    1. Bourbeau J, Julien M, Maltais F, et al. Reduction of hospital utilization in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a disease-specific self-management intervention. Arch Intern Med 2003; 163: 585–591. - PubMed
    1. Ninot G, Moullec G, Picot M, et al. Cost-saving effect of supervised exercise associated to COPD self-management education program. Respir Med 2011; 105: 377–385. - PubMed
    1. Effing T, Zielhuis G, Kerstjens H, et al. Community based physiotherapeutic exercise in COPD self-management: a randomised controlled trial. Respir Med 2011; 105: 418–426. - PubMed
    1. Hill K, Mangovski-Alzamora S, Blouin M, et al. Disease-specific education in the primary care setting increases the knowledge of people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a randomized controlled trial. Patient Educ Couns 2010; 81: 14–18. - PubMed
    1. Chavannesa NH, Grijsen M, van den Akker M, et al. Integrated disease management improves one-year quality of life in primary care COPD patients: a controlled clinical trial. Prim Care Respir J 2009; 18: 171–176. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources