Factors contributing to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients' functional performance: Structural equation modelling based on theory of unpleasant symptoms

Abstract

Aim This study aimed to predict the functional performance of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by clarifying the relationship among disease severity, uncertainty, social support, symptom experience, coping, and functional performance. Design A model‐testing design was used. Methods The subjects of this study were outpatients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who visited the respiratory clinic of a general hospital in Seoul, Korea. The data were collected using validated instruments from July 2018 to April 2019, of which 202 questionnaires in total were used for data analysis. Collected data were analysed by using IBM SPSS v27.0 and Mplus 8.0. Results The severity of the disease, uncertainty, and symptom experience should be reduced to improve the functional performance of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients. Furthermore, reduced uncertainty can improve functional performance by reducing symptom experience. Nursing interventions for the improvement of pulmonary function and reduction of symptom experience should be developed.

The Influence of Social Support in PROMs of Patients with COPD in Primary Care: A Scoping Review

“…Self-efficacy and self-care behavior, including adherence, showed consistent improvement when participants reported greater social support in six articles [19,28,[30][31][32]35]. In a qualitative study, Chen et al demonstrated a positive association between social support and self-management [28].…”

“…In another article, the support of social groups provided mutual trust, support, and increased self-confidence and motivation for self-care [32]. The greater the level of social support received by individuals, the more effective their coping mechanisms became [19]. The Duke-UNC Functional Social Support questionnaire identified social support as a significant factor in the process of living with the illness, as evaluated by the Living with Chronic Illness Scale (LW-CI Scale), which encompasses acceptance, coping, self-management, integration, and adjustment [31].…”

“…The evidence on the relationship between social support and the variables of functional status, quality of life, and self-rated health was inconclusive, and different articles reported different results (8 articles) [19,[26][27][28][31][32][33][34]. The research conducted by Arabyat et al [26] on a community sample of 1.261 patients with COPD revealed a significant correlation between insufficient social/emotional support and disability, as well as impairment in all aspects of health-related quality of life (HRQoL).…”

“…Taking into account the effect that adequate levels of social support can have in patients with COPD [19], it is plausible to hypothesize that higher levels of perceived social support may have a positive impact on many PROMs of patients with COPD. However, there is a lack of consistent evidence to support the relationship between perceived social support and self-perceived health in patients with COPD using PROMs, especially in primary care settings.…”

Exploring the Link between Social Support and Patient-Reported Outcomes in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study in Primary Care

“…This could mean that social support has the potential to influence PROMs, given its association with all these aspects and symptoms of COPD, including the sleep disturbances [ 21 , 30 , 31 ]. Considering the potential influence of adequate social support on patients with COPD [ 32 ], it is logical to assume that higher levels of perceived social support could positively impact a range of PROMs for these patients [ 32 ]. Nevertheless, there is a lack of comprehensive studies in the literature that sufficiently explore the association between perceived social support and self-reported health in patients with COPD using PROMs, particularly in primary care settings [ 33 ].…”