The Effect of Face Hand Fan Application on Dyspnea and Quality of Life in COPD Patients

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic disease with a high incidence both in our country and around the world. Dyspnea is one of the common problems in COPD patients. Dyspnea is an important symptom that limits patients' physical mobility, causes psychological problems such as anxiety, depression, and panic, and negatively affects their quality of life. Therefore, it is very important to diagnose and manage dyspnea in patients with COPD. Although pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods are used in the management of dyspnea, it is recommended that pharmacological methods be supported by non-pharmacological methods. Hand fan application, which is one of the non-pharmacological methods used in dyspnea management, provides an increase in self-efficacy in patients in addition to the stimulation of cold airflow to the trigeminal nerve branches, mucosa, and skin. Although there are studies reporting that applying cold air to the face with a hand fan is effective in reducing the severity of dyspnea in different patient groups, the number of studies examining the effectiveness of applying cold air to the face with a hand fan in patients with COPD is quite limited. This project was planned to determine the effect of applying cold air to the face with a fan on the severity of dyspnea and quality of life in COPD patients.

Method: The research was planned as a randomized, controlled experimental design. The population of the research consists of patients treated with a diagnosis of COPD in Bartın State Hospital Chest Diseases Service. Considering the data obtained from a similar study, the sample was calculated as 64 patients in the intervention group and 64 patients in the control group, for a total of 128 patients. Data will be collected using the Descriptive Information Form, Vital Signs Form, Modified Borg Scale, and Saint George Respiratory Questionnaire.

Data will be collected by researchers through face-to-face interviews with COPD patients treated at Bartın State Hospital Chest Diseases Service. Patients receiving treatment with a diagnosis of COPD will be randomized into intervention and control groups. In the control group, the Patient Diagnosis Form, Vital Signs Form, Modified Borg Scale, and Saint George Respiratory Questionnaire Form will be filled in at the first interview. The clinic's routine care protocol will be applied to the patients in the control group, and the researchers will fill out a vital signs form every day for 7 days, and the patients will be followed up. At the first meeting of the intervention group, the Patient Identification Form, Vital Signs Form, Modified Borg Scale, and Saint George Respiratory Questionnaire Form will be filled out. Afterward, training will be given (accompanied by an academic advisor) on how to apply cold air to the face with a hand fan (3 times a day for 5 minutes) for dyspnea management. Additionally, patients will be given a hand-fan application brochure. The researchers will monitor the patient every day for a week (7 days), fill out the vital signs form, and the final test will be administered by the researchers on the 8th day.