Health-promoting activities performed by nurses for patients with COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the fourth most common cause of death in the world. The significance of health promotion is usually emphasised among the activities which nurses should undertake in relation to patients suffering from COPD. The aim of the study was to analyse the frequency and types of health promotion activities undertaken by nurses in relation to patients suffering from COPD.

The diagnostic survey with the use of a questionnaire constructed by the authors was applied in the study. Data collected in 2008 among 132 nurses (100%) working in outpatient and hospital healthcare sectors in Poland were quantitatively analysed.

Nurses working in hospitals more frequently took part in diagnosing COPD (62.30%) than those working in outpatient establishments did (33.40%). Anti-smoking counselling was performed by 69% of respondents. Nurses very rarely used professional tools for the measurement of the level of nicotine addiction (6%) or the level of motivation to fight the addiction (4%). Activities in terms of health education carried out on a patient with COPD were declared by 66.67% of primary care nurses, and by 76.81% from hospitals. The nurses surveyed did not perform any monitoring of their recommendations and did not assess their effectiveness. Participation in interdisciplinary pulmonary rehabilitation programmes was declared by 9.53% of outpatient sector nurses and by 40.58% of nurses from hospitals.

Nurses' activities in relation to patients suffering from COPD have a mainly educational nature, but unfortunately they are casual, occasional and unplanned. Planned and formal inclusion of nurses in the process of realisation of health promotion programs for patients with COPD is recommended, i.e. by planning funds for the tasks which can be performed by them. More attention should be payed to professional training of nurses for realisation of the process of health education, especially anti-smoking intervention.