ArticleNPJ primary care respiratory medicine2014
Patients' experience of identifying and managing exacerbations in COPD: a qualitative study.
Article in NPJ primary care respiratory medicine, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 31 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
31 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Differentiating the start of an exacerbation from day-to-day variation in people with COPD: a systematic review.European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2026Pooled it
- Supported self-management for patients with COPD who have recently been discharged from hospital: a systematic review and meta-analysis.International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease · 2015Pooled it
- The impact of a personalised action plan delivered at discharge to patients with COPD on readmissions: a pilot study.Scandinavian journal of caring sciences · 2020Trial
- ADAMTS5 May Serve as a Useful Biomarker for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease · 2026Article
- Clinical Meaningfulness of the Composite Endpoint, COPDCompEx, in Defining Exacerbations and Worsening of COPD: A Post Hoc Analysis of 4 Clinical Interventional Studies of COPD.International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease · 2026Article
- Patients' and Health Care Professionals' Perspectives on Remote Patient Monitoring in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Exacerbation Management: Initiating Cocreation.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Is Disease Stability an Attainable Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Treatment Goal?American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine · 2025Review
- Does adherence to exacerbation action plans matter? Insights from two COPD self-management studies.Heliyon · 2024Article
- A Qualitative Study Identifying the Potential Risk Mechanisms Leading to Hospitalization for Patients With Chronic Lung Disease.CHEST pulmonary · 2024Article
- ERS International Congress 2022: highlights from the Respiratory Intensive Care Assembly.ERJ open research · 2023Review
- Giving Voice to People - Experiences During Mild to Moderate Acute Exacerbations of COPD.Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (Miami, Fla.) · 2022Article
- Telemedicine and virtual respiratory care in the era of COVID-19.ERJ open research · 2022Review
- A proof of concept for continuous, non-invasive, free-living vital signs monitoring to predict readmission following an acute exacerbation of COPD: a prospective cohort study.Respiratory research · 2022Article
- Care-seeking and delay of care during COPD exacerbations.NPJ primary care respiratory medicine · 2022Observational
- Supporting Behavior Change After AECOPD - Development of a Hospital-Initiated Intervention Using the Behavior Change Wheel.International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease · 2022Article
- Identifying acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease using patient-reported symptoms and cough feature analysis.NPJ digital medicine · 2021Article
- Adherence to an eHealth Self-Management Intervention for Patients with Both COPD and Heart Failure: Results of a Pilot Study.International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease · 2021Article
- Disease self-management in patients with moderate COPD: a thematic analysis.European clinical respiratory journal · 2020Article
- Advanced nursing practice in COPD exacerbations: the solution for a gap in Switzerland?ERJ open research · 2020Article
- Benefits of the 'village': a qualitative exploration of the patient experience of COPD in rural Australia.BMJ open · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundEffective self-management in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is crucial to reduce hospital admissions and improve outcomes for patients. This includes early detection and treatment of exacerbations by patients themselves.
aimsTo explore patients' current understanding and experience of managing and identifying COPD exacerbations at home.
methodsA qualitative, interview-based study was carried out in patients' homes. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using a grounded theory approach. Forty-four patients (17 women, 27 men; age range 55-85 years), with moderate-to-very-severe COPD, were recruited to the interview study from primary and secondary care settings in Oxford, UK, during 2012-2013.
resultsPatients identified exacerbations on the basis of measurable, 'visible' symptoms, such as cough and sputum and 'invisible' symptoms, such as chest sensations and bodily knowledge. Most patients seemed to use a combination of these approaches when identifying exacerbations, according to the symptoms that had the most impact on their well-being. Patients used additional self-management strategies during an exacerbation, such as self-medication (antibiotics and steroids) and monitored their recovery. Contact with health-care professionals usually occurred when patients felt no longer able to manage themselves.
conclusionsPatients use both assessment of objective biomarkers, which are aligned with medical knowledge, and subjective symptoms based on their experience, to identify and manage exacerbations of COPD. Health-care professionals and clinicians should acknowledge this 'expert patient' knowledge and integrate this into patients' care plans to facilitate early recognition and treatment of exacerbations.
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