According to Lewko et al., 2012, COPD is one of the major causes of disability. Since it is a systematic disease, it has a variety of symptoms, which may include fatigue. As a result researcher have focused their study in the recent years on the implications of COPD related fatigue. The research concluded that fatigue is highly prevalent among patients suffering from COPD. Comparisons between a healthy population and a control group. Further data shows that there are various psychological and pathophysiological factors that contribute to the prevalence of fatigue. There was an indication that depression is one of the predicators of fatigue. Therefore, further investigations are needed to assist patients on how to cope with the conditions. However, even though patients have identified several coping mechanisms, there is still limited information on the treatment and management of the debilitating symptom. The study showed that there was improvement when fatigue was related when the patients were subjected to pulmonary rehabilitation. However, there is still ambiguity in the impact of the treatment on subjective fatigue in various studies. The future requires randomized trials that will bring further insight on the issues. In addition, there is low quality data in terms of frequency, intensity, and pattern of fatigue or there were contradictory findings on the same. Considering the arguments and data gathered by the authors, it was difficult to determine the consistency of the impact of the coping mechanism. The research suggests that further efforts should be made to identify effective coping and treatment mechanism, to assist patients to manage the symptom of fatigue. The research opens the door to further studies on the issue, since the impact of fatigue on the quality of life of COPD has been long ignored in the treatment protocols.
Gardener et al., (2018) state that patient centered care is possible when the support needs of a patient are understood. The medical sector is moving towards patient centered care, in the sense that treatment is tailored to meet the specific needs of a patient, as opposed to generic treatments. COPD is a long term chronic disease meaning that a patient has to obtain the right treatment protocols in order to improve his or her quality of life. However, there the studies which have been done on the support needs of COPD patients are insufficient. According to the authors, several domains can be used to identify support needs. These include understanding COPD, managing medication and symptoms, healthy feelings, managing psychological issues, living with the chronic disease positively, and expression and anxiety among others. It was clear from the research that the treatment protocols of COPD are not limited to medication and managing symptoms such as fatigue. The treatment involves psychological support since chronic illnesses can make a patient feel anxious, depressed and worried. Therefore, even though the management of physical symptoms is crucial, a caregiver has to ensure that sufficient attention is given to the needs that determine the quality of life and health outcomes of a patient. In conclusion, for treatment protocols to be successful, it is crucial to not only understand all he symptoms of COPD and their impact on a patient’ life, but to also have a clear idea of all their needs. This knowledge helps caregivers to be more effective when managing COPD.
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References
Gardener AC , Ewing G, Kuhn I , Farquhar M . (2018). Support needs of patients with COPD: a systematic literature search and narrative review . International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease . Vol 13 .
Lewko , A, Bidgood , P, Jewell, A & Garrod, R . (2012).A Comprehensive Literature Review of COPD-Related Fatigue. Current Respiratory Medicine Reviews 8(5):370-382 ·
