Improving the quality of community primary palliative care in COPD: A qualitative study of health-care providers

ABSTRACT

Primary palliative care is essential for the continuity of care in severe COPD. This study aimed to identify essential factors and aspects to enhance the quality of primary palliative care for adults with severe COPD living in the community. Interviews with medical professionals from six institutions located in two major metropolitan areas in Japan were conducted, and these interviews were analyzed by using a qualitative content analysis approach. Results indicate that effective collaborative communication among team members, long-term care insurance system and related services, and palliative care techniques were the primary themes.

KEYWORDS:

• COPD
• end-of-life
• long-term care insurance
• primary care
• pulmonary rehabilitation

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to all participants for the time and energy they devoted to this study.

Disclosure statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest directly relevant to the content of this article.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by AMED under Grant Number [JP20dk0110038].