Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is among the gravest challenges that the healthcare industry grapples with today. According to the World Health Organization, as many as 251 million people had the disease in 2016 (WHO, n.d). In its report on this disease, the WHO notes that exposure to tobacco is among the key risk factors. Various scholars have complemented WHO’s efforts to understand how COPD develops and the measures that can be instituted to protect communities. While these scholars have explored a wide range of issues concerning COPD, they have given particular focus to the impact that smoking cessation has on patients with COPD. Jane Wu and Don Sin (2011) are among these scholars. Through a study, they established that smoking cessation is indeed an effective intervention for improving the health outcomes of COPD patients. These scholars are not alone in acknowledging the effectiveness of smoking cessation. They are joined by Tonnesen (2013) who determined that “smoking cessation is the most effective intervention in stopping the progression of OCPD, as well as increasing survival and reducing morbidity” (p. 37). It is the findings by such scholars as Tonnesen that serve as the primary basis of the research that will be conducted. The research will aim to prove that smoking cessation works through an observational and questionnaire-based study involving patients with COPD. It is expected that the research outcomes will point to the effectiveness of smoking cessation.
Problem Statement
In the introduction above, smoking cessation has been presented as an effective and safe approach for addressing COPD. To further highlight the role that this intervention plays, a research will be conducted. As already stated, existing literature offers the foundation for the research. However, it is important to add that the research is also inspired by certain literature gaps and issues with COPD. Aumann, Tedja and Von der Schulenburg (2016) performed an evaluation of the perspectives of patients regarding smoking cessation programs. These scholars observed that some of the patients complained that the smoking cessation initiative was poorly structured and that the content lacked a personal touch. Essentially, through their study, Aumann and his colleagues identified the issues that limit the effectiveness of COPD. The research that will be carried out will seek to highlight these issues and offer recommendations for improving the effectiveness of smoking cessation. Whereas the research will seek to verify if patients are indeed dissatisfied with smoking cessation programs, the main focus will be to establish the effectiveness of these programs.
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Significance to Nursing
The significance of the research cannot be overstated. The nursing community is among the parties that the research will benefit. Nurses work tirelessly to deliver care to COPD patients. A lack of understanding of the interventions that are most effective is one of the hurdles that they encounter as they offer care. It has already been noted that the primary purpose of the research will be to confirm that smoking cessation is an effective approach. This confirmation will inspire nurses to adopt this intervention in their treatment of COPD patients. Another significant role that the research will play is that it will help to establish smoking cessation as a standard and highly effective intervention that nurses should embrace. Currently, such other approaches as pharmacological treatment are widely employed. While these approaches are fairly effective, their appeal is hindered by such issues as high costs (Aumann, Tedja & Von der Schulenburg, 2016). Since it is a low-cost solution, smoking cessation promises to become the first-line intervention for COPD patients. It is hoped that through this research, nurses and other practitioners will acknowledge the effectiveness and safety of smoking cessation. In the discussion above, it has been noted that one of the issues that some COPD patients find that impersonal smoking cessation programs limit their impact. The complaints that these patients raise underscore the value of this study to the nursing community. By integrating the results of the study into their practice, nursing practitioners will be able to develop personal and effective patient education and sensitization campaigns that focus on smoking cessation.
Research Questions
As part of the research process, effort will be dedicated to answering a number of important questions. Listed below are the primary questions that the research will strive to answer:
Does smoking cessation result in a significant improvement in the health outcomes of COPD patients?
Do COPD patients feel that smoking cessation is an effective approach?
What is the impact of education and awareness campaigns on the perceptions of COPD patients concerning smoking cessation?
Methodology
A simple yet effective methodology will be adopted for the purpose of gathering and analyzing data. The study will involve COPD patients on the general medical floor. With the patients to be included in the study identified, invitations will then be sent out to interested patients. These patients will be asked to participate in an awareness and education program regarding the effectiveness and the benefits of smoking cessation. Given that smoking cessation has been shown to be an effective intervention, it is expected that an encouraging number of patients will agree to take part in the study. In addition to direct instruction on the benefits of smoking cessation, the education program will also see the patients being provided with printed information. Weekly follow-up sessions will be conducted to determine the impact of the education on the health and the perspectives of the participants. Interviews and the administration of questionnaires will be the primary methods of data collection. Through these tools, the participants will be asked to share their thoughts on the training and the impact that it has had on their health and awareness levels. Data analysis will involve a simple examination of the participant responses with the goal of identifying patterns and key themes.
Scope
The study is rather broad in its scope. Its broad purpose is to establish the impact of smoking cessation. However, there are various more specific goals that the study will seek to accomplish. One of these goals is to determine the role that education plays in raising the awareness levels among patients with COPD and other respiratory conditions. The second goal of the study is to encourage the formation of support groups of COPD patients which will challenge these patients to abandon smoking.
The discussion of the scope of the study would not be complete without a look at its importance. This study is important because it aims to verify the accuracy of the various studies that have determined that smoking cessation helps to alleviate the suffering of patients with COPD. Another reason why this study is important is that it seeks to address some of the drawbacks of smoking cessation awareness programs. It was noted in an earlier section that some patients feel that these programs do not work well because they are impersonal and poorly structured. The study will address the concerns that these patients raise.
It is evident from the discussion this far that this study’s importance is not in question. Now, the stage is set to explore how the study is importance. The importance lies mainly in the fact that the study will add to the wealth of literature that has shown that smoking cessation is effective. Moreover, this study is designed with the purpose of helping COPD patients for whom other approaches have proven effective. The fact that it promises to transform the treatment of COPD and other respiratory diseases is another issue that makes the study important.
This study is important to various groups as it will present impacts for them. COPD patients are among those that the study targets and on whom it will have significant impacts. While these patients are the primary focus of the study, other patients with different respiratory diseases are also set to benefit. As noted earlier, the study will also present benefits for nursing practitioners. The general medical community also stands to benefit when the insights shared through the study are incorporated into the delivery of healthcare.
References
Aumann, I., Tedja, L., & Von der Schulenburg, J. M. (2016). Experiences of COPD patients with Existing smoking cessation programs and their preferences for improvement- a Qualitative analysis. Tobacco Induced Diseases. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12971-016-0097-4
Tonnesen, P. (2013). Smoking cessation and COPD. European Respiratory Review, 22 (127), 37-43.
World Health Organization (WHO). (n.d). Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Retrieved September 2, 2018 from http://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease-(copd)
Wu, J., & Sin, D. D. (2011). Improved patient outcome with smoking cessation: when is it too Late? International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, 6, 259-67.
