The effect of a nurse-led self-management program on outcomes of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Purpose: To examine the effectiveness of a nurse-led self-management program on outcomes of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Design: A randomized controlled, single-blind trial, carried out from October 2017 to December 2018, included 154 participants admitted with COPD to the Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University in Guizhou, (randomized into intervention (n = 77) and control groups (n = 77)).

Materials and methods: Participants in the intervention group underwent a nurse-led self-management program in addition to routine care, and participants of the control group received only routine care. The main outcome measures were COPD-related readmission and emergency department visits, the 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) test for measurement of exercise capacity, the St George Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) for measurement of health-related quality of life, and the COPD Transitional Care Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (CTCPSQ) for measurement of satisfaction. Data collection was conducted at baseline (T1) and after 3 (T2), 6 (T3) and 12 mo (T4). Findings Compared to the control group, participants in the intervention group showed significantly fewer COPD-related hospital admissions (P = 0.03) and emergency department visits (P = 0.001) and higher total CTCPSQ scores (P = 0.001) at 12 mo. Meanwhile, analysis of variance showed a significantly greater improvement in exercise capacity and health status over time in the nurse-led program group than in the control group, P < 0.001.

Conclusions: This study demonstrated that the nurse-led self-management program was effective in decreasing hospital readmissions and emergency department visits and improving exercise capacity, health-related quality of life and satisfaction for patients with COPD.