The objective was to determine which content on self-management counselling particularly needs attention when developing timely and individually tailored selfmanagement counselling for people with COPD and their family members.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive disease that has a comprehensive effect on the lives of people it affects. Significant amounts of information and support are needed for people with COPD to improve their ability to self-manage their disease. When the disease progresses, support and practical help from family members can be crucial for self-management, making COPD a burden on family members as well.
The first phase of this two-phase study included two cross-sectional studies and a systematic review. The second phase was a descriptive synthesis based on the phase one studies.
The first cross-sectional study investigated the self-management counselling content that should be included in established practice, as described by doctors (n = 83) and nurses (n = 154) who treat people with COPD in special health care or primary health care settings. This content represents that which HCPs regularly include in counselling people with COPD and thus indicates established practice. The data were gathered via an e-questionnaire and analysed using descriptive statistical methods.
The second study was on the perceptions of people with COPD (n = 169) regarding their information needs for self-management counselling. The data were gathered via an e-questionnaire and a printed questionnaire and analysed using descriptive statistical methods. A systematic review was conducted via a search of four international databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO and SCOPUS) and the Finnish medical bibliographic database Medic. Data were extracted from articles that were accepted according to the inclusion criteria and the quality assessment.
The qualitative research findings were pooled using meta-aggregation. In the second phase, a synthesis was created based on the results of the two cross-sectional studies and the systematic review. In this synthesis, the relation between counselling offered by HCPs and the information needs of people with COPD was considered via a holistic framework that included physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs.
The counselling provided by doctors and nurses working in specialised health care or primary health care focused on content about physical issues, such as medication, smoking cessation and exacerbation of the disease. People with COPD and their family members had high information needs. In addition to information on physical issues, they needed information on psychological, social and spiritual issues. The results of this study found that counselling by HCPs was not directed towards all the needs of people with COPD and their family members.
Counselling people with COPD and their family members should be developed so that future counselling is based on all the information needs of the individual, including physical, psychological, social and spiritual content. HCPs’ knowledge should be up to date, and their abilities, skills and resources should be optimal to meet the information needs of people with COPD and their family members.
The doctoral dissertation of Master of Health Sciences Hannele Siltanen in the field of nursing science titled Keuhkoahtaumatautia sairastavan tiedontarpeisiin kohdentuva omahoidon ohjaus will be publicly examined at the Faculty of Social Sciences of Tampere University at 12 o'clock on Friday 28 ay, 2021. Professor Maria Kääriäinen from the University of Oulu will be the opponent while Professor Eija Paavilainen will act as the custos.
The event can be followed via remote connection.
The dissertation is available online at
http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-03-1932-8
Photo: Hämeenlinnan Raatikuva