A qualitative research on fatigue cognition and coping experience in elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Abstract

Objective To investigate the cognition and coping experience of fatigue in elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), so as to provide basis and research basis for the preparation of fatigue intervention measures for elderly patients with COPD. Methods Qualitative research interview was used to conduct face-to-face and in-depth communication with 12 elderly patients with COPD under the guidance of pre-prepared interview outline. The 7-step Colaizzi analysis method was used to analyze the transcript of the interview and extract the theme and representative statements. Results Fatigue cognition could be summarized into five themes:fatigue symptoms were often accompanied by drowsiness, fatigue, anxiety, poor sleep, memory loss and other symptoms; there was no definite time point for the appearance of fatigue symptoms; breathing difficulties, limited activities, mental and psychological disorders and deficient social support were the main causes of fatigue; family accidents, seasonal variation, the occurrence of complications and relapses of the malady were the aggravating factors of fatigue symptoms; fatigue affects the patient′s ability to move, social circle and life motivation. Coping experiences could be summarized into three themes: strengthen self-management and ask for help; take the initiative to learn and improve the level of self-care; emotional disorder, negative response. Conclusions There are obvious fatigue symptoms in elderly patients with COPD. Affected by many factors, such as disease factors, self-perceived burden level, family support and social support level, most patients have insufficient fatigue cognition and lack of coping ability. Medical staff should fully understand the fatigue cognition and coping experience of such patients and implement effective intervention programs to improve the coping ability of patients. Key words: Aged; Pulmonary disease, chronic obstructive; Fatigue cognition; Coping experience; Qualitative research