TY - JOUR

T1 - Patients’ Perspective on Automated Oxygen Administration during Hospitalization for Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

T2 - A Qualitative Study Nested in a Randomized Controlled Trial

AU - Sandau, Charlotte

AU - Poulsen, Ingrid

AU - Nørholm, Vibeke

AU - Hansen, Ejvind Frausing

AU - Ringbaek, Thomas Jørgen

AU - Suppli Ulrik, Charlotte

AU - Gaby Bove, Dorthe

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - Recently, health technology systems offering monitoring of the peripheral oxygen saturation level and automated oxygen administration (AOA) have emerged. AOA has been shown to reduce duration of hypoxemia and the length of hospital stay, but the patients’ perspective on AOA has not been investigated. This qualitative study, based on the interpretive description methodology, aimed to explore how patients hospitalized with exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) experience being treated with AOA. Eighteen patients treated with AOA were included in the study. Data was collected during admission or in the patients’ homes using semi-structured interviews focusing on patients’ experiences of AOA using the word “robot” as used by patients. The findings revealed two themes “adaptation of behavior to the robot” and “robots can make patients feel safe but not cared for” and six subthemes. Our findings illustrate how patients were willing to compromise their own therapy and thereby safety by avoiding behavior triggering AOA alarms and disturbing their fellow patients and the health care professionals. Adherence, defined as patients’ consistency in taking their medications as prescribed, becomes an important point of attention for health professionals when applying individualized robotic therapies such as AOA to patients with COPD. To support patients in the process of managing adherence to therapeutic technology, we propose a person-centered care approach that, through education and communication with the patients, generates an understanding of how they can self-manage AOA and its alarms without activating avoiding behavior that threatens their treatment and recovery.

AB - Recently, health technology systems offering monitoring of the peripheral oxygen saturation level and automated oxygen administration (AOA) have emerged. AOA has been shown to reduce duration of hypoxemia and the length of hospital stay, but the patients’ perspective on AOA has not been investigated. This qualitative study, based on the interpretive description methodology, aimed to explore how patients hospitalized with exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) experience being treated with AOA. Eighteen patients treated with AOA were included in the study. Data was collected during admission or in the patients’ homes using semi-structured interviews focusing on patients’ experiences of AOA using the word “robot” as used by patients. The findings revealed two themes “adaptation of behavior to the robot” and “robots can make patients feel safe but not cared for” and six subthemes. Our findings illustrate how patients were willing to compromise their own therapy and thereby safety by avoiding behavior triggering AOA alarms and disturbing their fellow patients and the health care professionals. Adherence, defined as patients’ consistency in taking their medications as prescribed, becomes an important point of attention for health professionals when applying individualized robotic therapies such as AOA to patients with COPD. To support patients in the process of managing adherence to therapeutic technology, we propose a person-centered care approach that, through education and communication with the patients, generates an understanding of how they can self-manage AOA and its alarms without activating avoiding behavior that threatens their treatment and recovery.

KW - Interpretive description

KW - nursing

KW - oxygen therapy

KW - patients’ perspective

KW - qualitative research

U2 - 10.1080/15412555.2022.2141620

DO - 10.1080/15412555.2022.2141620

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 36416665

AN - SCOPUS:85142345379

VL - 19

SP - 345

EP - 352

JO - C O P D

JF - C O P D

SN - 1541-2555

IS - 1

ER -