A self-management programme for COPD: a randomised controlled trial.

Area of Science:

• Pulmonary Medicine
• Health Psychology
• Clinical Trials

Background:

• Self-management support programs for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) have yielded inconclusive results.
• Effective interventions are needed to improve the quality of life for individuals with COPD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the 6-week Self-Management Programme of Activity, Coping and Education (SPACE) FOR COPD intervention in a primary care setting.
• To assess the impact of the SPACE FOR COPD program on symptom burden and other secondary outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A single-blind randomised controlled trial was conducted with 184 participants diagnosed with COPD.
• Participants were randomized to receive either usual care or the SPACE FOR COPD intervention.
• Outcomes, including the primary outcome of symptom burden (CRQ-SR dyspnoea), were measured at baseline, 6 weeks, and 6 months.

Main Results:

• At 6 weeks, significant improvements were observed in the intervention group for dyspnoea, fatigue, emotion scores, exercise performance, anxiety, and disease knowledge.
• At 6 months, no significant difference in the primary outcome (CRQ-SR dyspnoea) was found between the groups.
• However, at 6 months, the intervention group demonstrated significant improvements in exercise performance, anxiety levels, and smoking status compared to the usual care group.

Conclusions:

• The SPACE FOR COPD intervention did not significantly improve COPD-related dyspnoea over usual care at the 6-month follow-up.
• Despite not meeting the primary outcome, the intervention demonstrated benefits in reducing anxiety, enhancing exercise performance, and increasing disease knowledge.
• This brief self-management program may offer valuable support for certain aspects of COPD management in primary care.