Characteristics and Effectiveness of a Partnership-based Nursing Practice for Patients With Chronic Lung Diseases and Their Families

Growing number of people with chronic lung diseases, particularly chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and the wide ranging burden that the disease induces to individuals, families and societies, has spurred concerted efforts to develop new healthcare for these people. Outpatient clinics are receiving increasing recognition, particularly those managed by nurses. An out-patient nursing clinic based on theoretical premises of partnership as practice has been established at Landspitali University Hospital. Initial research has shown effectiveness of the practice on the use of healthcare, health status, health related quality of life as well as increased capacity of families to live a meaningful life with the disease. There is a need to substantiate knowledge of the effectiveness of the partnership-based practice by focusing on use of healthcare resources, health and the experience of patients and families, as well as developing educational material for nurses.

Investigators hypothesize that the holistic, inclusive -taking account of the challenge of multi-morbidity and the long-term relationship that patients with COPD and their families have with the nurses along with the open structure of whatever kind of services is needed in each patient-family case, often in interdisciplinary and inter-institutional collaboration- , is beneficial as regards use of healthcare, health characteristics, HRQL, use of inhaler medications, sense of security in care and illness intrusiveness. The experience of patients with COPD and their families of living with the disease and receiving the care will substantiate the previously indicated variables. To this study a multi-dimensional approach is needed which includes both a holistic evaluation (qualitatively studying the experience of participants) and which measures variables prevalent in studies on self-management and palliative care (quantitative use of instruments and demographic variables).