The Effects of a Self-Management Program on Lung Function and Dyspnea Among Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Sawankhalok District, Sukhothai Province

Abstract

          Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) impacts the daily lives of patients due to acute exacerbation and the deterioration of lung function. Supporting patients’ self-management enhances their ability to manage their COPD, modify their behavior, and improve their health outcomes. The purpose of this quasi-experimental research was to examine the effects of a self-management program on lung function and dyspnea among patients with COPD. Sixty participants with COPD were purposively recruited and randomly assigned into an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group received a self-management program while the control group received usual nursing care. The research instruments consisted of 1) a personal data questionnaire; 2) an evaluation form for the Modified Medical Research Council Dyspnea Score; and 3) a spirometer. The reliability of the form for the Modified Medical Research Council Dyspnea Score was 0.78. The portable spirometer was calibrated before implementation. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, and repeated measure ANOVA.   
          The results of this study showed that after the intervention, dyspnea in the experimental group was significantly better than for those in the control group (p < 0.05), and their mean scores for pulmonary function were higher than those in the control group but did not differ significantly. Within the experimental group, the mean scores for dyspnea and lung function were significantly better than before the intervention which continued to be the case during the follow-up period (p < 0.05).
          These findings indicate that a self-management program could be beneficially applied to enhances lung function and decrease COPD patients’ dyspnea.