Transitional care for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Abstract

To observe the effects of transitional care on the quality of life of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. A total of 114 COPD patients were recruited from the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China and divided equally into an intervention group and control group. Following discharge, patients from the intervention group recieved three-months intervention in addition to regular nursing care, while control group patients received regular nursing care only. Patients' quality of life was measured using the St. George's respiratory questionnaire (SGRQ), the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and body mass index (BMI). The symptoms section score, the activity section score, the impacts section score, the total score and the rate of mental disorders were significantly changed after the intervention while there was no statistical difference in BMI between groups. Transitional care can improve health-related quality of life in COPD patients who have recently suffered an exacerbation.