Illness perceptions and self-management skills: A mixed-method study among patients with chronic lung disease and healthcare professionals in China

05 Aug 2021
Clinical Research Results Aim: To identify illness perceptions and self-management skills in chronic lung disease (CLD) patients and healthcare professionals (HCPs), which can help identify and develop suitable self-management interventions. Method: A mixed-method study was conducted combining qualitative interviews with quantitative surveys in Chinese primary care (PC) and secondary care (SC) settings. The interview topic list related to illness beliefs towards CLD, past self-management experiences, and the needs for self-management interventions. The survey included the Brief Illness Perceptions Questionnaire for assessing illness perception. Qualitative interviews were analyzed with the framework approach, and the quantitative survey was analyzed using SPSS software.Results: In total, 27 patients and 25 HCPs participated in the interviews. Twenty-five patients and 23 HCPs also completed the quantitative survey. Most patients perceived negative illness perceptions and poor self-management skills, including late exacerbation recognition and actions. HCPs held less negative illness perception than patients. HCPs agreed with, but did not completely adhere to, the guideline recommendations. Needs on three generic factors (disease knowledge, former experience with exacerbations, family support) and six specific factors (perceived illness severity for exacerbation recognition, patient self-empowerment, complementary and alternative medicine, professional skills of the HCPs, different roles of HCPs in self-management skills between PC and SC settings, and medical cost for exacerbation actions) were identified that influenced self-management skills. Conclusion: Negative illness perceptions and poor self-management skills were found in CLD patients. Generic and specific factors were identified that influenced self-management skills, with evidence indicating that low disease knowledge can negatively impact self-management skills. Multiple needs regarding self-management were found; that is, increasing disease knowledge in patients, providing face-to-face consultation supported by eHealth, and closer cooperation between PC and SC. These findings should be taken into account when developing self-management interventions. Implementation Science/Service Development Research Ideas on Respiratory Conditions and Tobacco Dependency Abstract Declaration of Interest Conflict of Interest StatementThe authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.Funding SourcesThis work was supported by the China Scholarship Council (201807040051). References and Clinical Trial Registry Information

Resource information

Respiratory conditions
  • Chronic Respiratory Disease
Respiratory topics
  • Disease management
Type of resource
Abstract
Conference
Dublin 2021
Author(s)
Xiaoyue Song, Leiden University Medical Center, Netherlands