A recently published 12-month controlled clinical trial in which
nurses acted as mentors to 106 COPD patients to increase selfmanagement behaviours has shown that this approach significantly
improved health-related quality of life (HRQoL), physical functioning,
and increased time to death or readmission to hospital. 21 In addition,
it has been suggested that comprehensive nursing practice
addressing the needs of patients with COPD could be beneficial for
patients and their families. 22 As COPD has a profound impact on
both patients and their families, is complex and characterised by
fluctuating symptoms, the education of families is extremely
important for the effective management of this condition. The study
by Ingadottir et al. involved 50 patients with COPD and was notable
in that it was based on the establishment of family involvement. 22 In
this study, nurses assisted not only patients but also their families in
learning to assess and take appropriate measures in relation to
symptoms, establishing a close collaboration with family members
and other healthcare professionals. In addition, nurses addressed
specific health-related issues according to the needs of the individual
patient. All the main variables measured – such as disease-specific
HRQoL, number of hospital admissions, nutritional status, and
anxiety and depression – improved significantly; measures of HRQoL
also reached a clinically significant threshold.