A team of people with an interest in COPD, including two experienced respiratory nurse specialists, met to discuss the range of emotions that people and those around them typically experience when coming to terms with COPD.
The aim was to explore how a sufferer reacts to a COPD diagnosis and how their changing emotional state affects their ability/ willingness to self-manage their condition and develop a care pathway.
The team also considered the emotions of the carer along the pathway and their role in helping their loved one to change. The learnings from this work could help general practice nurses (GPNs) provide appropriate support to COPD patients to help them get to a stage where they are motivated and able to effectively self-manage.
Success!