Dying means suffocating: perceptions of people living with severe COPD facing the end of life

The purpose of this research was to describe the perceptions of people living with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with respect to the end of life.

For this descriptive exploratory qualitative study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with six participants suffering from severe COPD hospitalized in the past year following an exacerbation episode. The data were analyzed using the method developed by Miles and Huberman (2003), which comprises three main steps: data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing/verification.

The analysis yielded four themes that reflect the perceptions of participants with respect to the end of life, namely: living and seeing oneself decline, living and preparing to die, dying of COPD means suffocating, and dying in hospital surrounded by family and friends. What emerges from the study is that persons living with severe COPD wish to die without suffocating, in hospital, surrounded by family and friends, all the while hoping to go on living.

This study contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the end-of-life experience. It shows the importance of accompanying these persons properly towards the end of life and at the moment of dying. The study proposes a series of avenues for future research and makes recommendations for practice.