Treatment burden priorities of COPD patients, carers, and respiratory physicians during clinical consultation

Adem Sav

Queensland University of technology, Australia

Biography :

Adem Sav is a Senior Lecturer and Discipline Lead for Health Safety and Environment programs within the School of Public Health and Social Work at Queensland University of Technology. Adem completed his PhD in 2011 and is a recognized leader in policy and systems approaches to health, particularly focusing on a setting approach. He has a special interest in psycho-social factors at work and the system/policies needed to make the workplace a healthier setting for key populations. In recent years, his work has increasingly focused on health service delivery and patient-centred care for people with chronic health conditions.

Abstract :

Many people with COPD often feel overwhelmed by treatment burden, which refers to the negative experiences associated with the additional effort required to follow a treatment plan. Although there is recent research on how COPD patients experience treatment burden, most of what we know is focused on patients’ personal experiences. Our study aimed to identify and prioritize areas of treatment burden that should be discussed during clinical consultations. We collected data from participants using the nominal group technique (NGT), which allows for the development of many ideas. We conducted five nominal group sessions in total (n = 31); three sessions with patients (n = 18), one with carers (n = 7), and another with respiratory physicians (pulmonologists or chest physicians) (n = 6). Each session was recorded and analyzed using thematic analysis. We found that patients prioritize receiving more education and information, difficulties accessing healthcare, and worry about COPD treatment and prognosis. Respiratory physicians prioritize burdens associated with accessing healthcare, followed by education and information. Carers prioritize worry about COPD treatment and prognosis, the need for education and information, and their own needs. Despite these differences, all groups agreed that difficulties accessing healthcare, lack of education and information, and worry about COPD treatment were the most important treatment burden priorities for discussion.