Preliminary study on the disease literacy of COPD patients

Joint Event on 49^th International Congress on Nursing Care Plan & Health & 50^th World Congress on Men in Nursing

July 16-18, 2018 | Rome, Italy

Tomoko Tanaka and Kazuhito Yokoyama

Juntendo University, Japan

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Nurs Care

Abstract :

Background: Self-management is necessary for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients to prevent aggravation of the disease so as to maintain the maximum quality of daily life. In this study, we investigated their disease literacy for selfmanagement. Methods: A semi-structured interview was conducted on seven COPD outpatients who agreed to participate in the study. They were asked whether they were doing "self-learning about the disease", "nonsmoking", "medication compliance", "diet", "pulmonary rehabilitation", "vaccination", "control of breathing", which were considered important for self-management of COPD. Also, we asked them about the understanding of the need for home mechanical ventilation and home oxygen therapy. All data were analyzed by the summarizing content analysis method. Results: All patients reported that they had kept medication, six did "non-smoking" and "vaccination". On the other hand "pulmonary rehabilitation" was done by three patients, "self-learning about the disease," was done by only two, and none of the patients did "diet" or "control of breathing". Four patients reported that they understood the need for home oxygen therapy, they had already been receiving home oxygen therapy. It was only one person answered that they know that there is a possibility to receive the home mechanical ventilation. Only one answered that they knew that there was a possibility to receive the home mechanical ventilation. Conclusion: Patients know little about the measures considered important as for self-management of COPD. An epidemiological study on factors which affect the disease literacy is necessary.

Biography :

Tomoko Tanaka is an Assistant Professor of Juntendo University Faculty of Health Care and Nursing, since 2009. She has clinical experience in Surgical and Internal Medicine for more than 10 years. Her main research topics are education for perioperative nursing, nursing for chronic respiratory organ disease patients and decision support of chronic respiratory organ disease patients.

E-mail: tmtanakai@juntendo.ac.jp