patients’ experiences of copd self-management challenges: a qualitative study

Background: patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (copd) should be able to manage this progressive disease. an analysis of patients’ experiences of self-management barriers and challenges can help health managers and policymakers to address the challenges.aim: the present study was conducted with aim to explore copd self-management challenges from the perspective of patients.method: this descriptive qualitative study was conducted in 2023 at ali ebne abitaleb hospital in southeastern, iran. the participants were 15 copd patients admitted to the pulmonary ward who were selected through purposive sampling. the data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using conventional content analysis.results: the findings indicated that copd management is a complex and multi-faceted process affected by several factors including personal patient factors (non-adherence to treatment, personal beliefs, stress, low health literacy, financial burdens/strains, occupation/role, and low self-efficacy), environmental factors (internal and external factors), and the copd-related factors (progressive nature of copd and cardiac comorbidities).implications for practice: based on the findings of the present study, healthcare providers and health policy makers can help patients improve their self-management skills and prevent disease progression by reducing barriers to self-management.