Contributing to self-care of a person with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A qualitative study of the experiences of family caregivers.

Aim: To explore family caregivers' experiences of contributing to self-care of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Design: A qualitative description study.

Methods: Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted face-to face, by telephone or video calls in a purposive sample of 17 family caregivers of patients with COPD recruited in Italy, and analysed through content analysis. The consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative studies (COREQ) checklist was used for study reporting.

Results: Ten subcategories were derived from 106 codes grouped into three main categories: family caregiver contributions to maintaining disease stable and ensuring a normal life for patients; family caregiver contributions to disease monitoring; and family caregiver contributions to coping with disease exacerbations. Family caregivers provided practical and emotional support, and their contribution was essential to improve treatment adherence, to enable the patient to continue living a normal life, and to have access to the healthcare services. Family caregivers were constantly vigilant and monitored patients daily to detect worsening conditions, and they managed exacerbations especially when patients were unable to do it due to their critical conditions.

Conclusion: This study broadens knowledge of family caregivers' contributions to patients' self-care in COPD, describing the different ways family members provide daily care to patients and the many responsibilities they take on.

Impact: Family caregivers perform a variety of behaviours when supporting patients with COPD in self-care, especially when patients are more dependent and the disease more severe. Nurses should acknowledge the various contributions provided by family caregivers and develop educational interventions aiming to support them in patient care and improve patient outcomes.

Patient Or Public Contribution: Researchers shared the draft study report with participants for validation and feedback. This helped to strengthen the study design and results.