A description of requests for self-management support among patients with COPD in Primary Health Care

Aim: To describe requests among patients with COPD in Primary Health Care (PHC) regarding self-management support. Background: The communication between health care providers and patients with COPD has been found to be non-optimal. Also, patient participation in COPD treatment is known to be low. This can be a threat to patient safety. Method: These results are a part of a RCT with patients with COPD where a form, Patient Report Informing Self-Management Support (PRISMS) was tested. PRISMS was performed at a consultation with the COPD nurse in 11 PHC centres in 2016. The intervention group consisted of patients with COPD in all lung-function stages (n=104), mean age 71, SD +9. PRISMS contains 17 items concerning the most common problems patients experience in daily life. Each item was assessed on a visual analog scale (VAS) 0-100 mm regarding the level of problem experienced. VAS 0-33 mm was assessed as mild, 34-66 mm as moderate and 67-100 mm as severe problem. In addition, the patients marked the three items for which they wanted self-management support at the consultation. Results: The most common problems reported were shortness of breath (58%), doing exercise (51%) and; being tired, no energy (44%). The patients estimated their problems to manage their health as mild. The three items they most wanted to discuss at the consultation were shortness of breath (52%), being tired, no energy (29%) and doing exercise (26%). Conclusion: In this survey with COPD-ptients, shortness of breath was the most common request for self-management support. In person-centered care it is essential that patients get the opportunity to highlight their daily problems and receive self-management support.