How Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Experience Life after Acute Exacerbation

Abstract

Aim：The aim of this research is to identify how patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease （COPD）experience life after acute exacerbation.

Methods：We conducted unstructured interviews with five COPD patients discharged from the hospital after acute exacerbation, and analyzed their answers qualitatively and descriptively applying a phenomenological approach.

Results：Seven themes were identified in the way the COPD patients experienced life after acute exacerbation: difficulty breathing becoming part of their life; listening to the voice of their own body and adapting as necessary; rebuilding their life in consideration of regrets about the past; ongoing efforts to maintain their current quality of life; feeling thankful for being able to lead a normal life; having hope for life amid awareness of their mortality; and living with the disease while fulfilling their potential.

Conclusion：This research showed that the COPD patients were ready to die due to the decline in respiratory function, but they lived proactively, looking back on their past and transforming their own way of life to survive. It suggests that holistic understanding and support of patients requires looking not only at physical symptoms but also at past life experiences.