Participatory action research: A strategy for improving self-care management in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients
Blog post by Miguel Padilha
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the leading causes of death and morbidity in the world. The disease is chronic and there is no cure. Further, the symptoms evolve slowly why the disease is often detected late during the disease progress. Thus, the importance of early detection in order to involve patients in self-management of the disease is pivotal. The preservation of self-care autonomy and quality of life depends on the patients’ ability to adopt pharmacological treatments and behavioral changes. Our challenge was to implement a change that meets the expectations of nurses and patients and that works in hospital setting.
In this PAR project we get to know how the researchers together with the nurses successfully improved the care model for COPD patients in a Portuguese hospital setting. Using input from patients the change focused especially on patients’ self-management skills. Subsequently, there are many lessons to be learned for other action researchers pursuing similar efforts where chronic care models that empower patients are developed.
If you have similar challenges this article responds to some questions about how to promote the participation of patients and nurses in clinical practice changes that improve safety, quality and access to healthcare.
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Columbia Embury
www.wright.edu
www.wright.edu
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