Accommodating to a troubled life – chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients’ experiences and perceptions of self-image during the course of rehabilitation

Abstract

Background: To tailor future rehabilitation programmes for patients with chronic pulmonary obstructive disease, there is a need for more in-depth knowledge about what is essential to these patients and how they perceive their self-image while participating in rehabilitation. Therefore, this study aims to explore patients’ experiences and perception of self-image during pulmonary rehabilitation.

Methods: Twenty-one patients were followed by participant observations during standard rehabilitation complicity supplemented with final individual interviews. Phenomenological-hermeneutic analysis and interpretation were applied.

Results: Through a rewarding peer fellowship, patients became engaged in rehabilitation and improved their capacity to embrace and manage their illness. Through a humorous interplay, encouragement to live with the life-threating disease developed. While understanding themselves in a wider perspective, patients enhanced enablement to shape life according to personal satisfaction. Although participating in the group-based programme was mostly invigorating, it was, however, sometimes perceived as a stressful overload. More individualized support from healthcare professionals was warrented.

Conclusions: Group-based pulmonary rehabilitation can support chronic pulmonary obstructive disease patients towards significant change in self-image and health behaviour, leading to improved illness management. Enlarged opportunities to benefit from peer-fellowship and enhanced focus on what is essential to the participants might expand the rehabilitation yields.

Keywords:

• Pulmonary rehabilitation
• peer-fellowship
• humour
• participant observations
• interviews
• health behaviour

Acknowledgments

We thank the COPD patients who have generously shared their experiences during their rehabilitation and thus made this study possible. For language revision, we thank Jørgen Refshauge. Funding This work was supported by Grants from; The Research Foundation of Naestved, Slagelse and Ringsted Hospitals; The Foundation for Health Research in Region Zealand; The Fund of Development and Research by Danish Regions & Danish Health Confederation and The Foundation of Development of Clinical Practice for Danish Physiotherapists.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.