Table 3.
Characteristics of included studies
| Reference (year), country | Recruitment setting | Sample size | Severity of COPD | Participant characteristics | Methods | Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Booth et al (2003)14 UK | Respiratory clinical within a university teaching hospital | 10 | 3 or 4 on modified MRC 4-point scale |
Male =6 Age range =51–80 years |
Semistructured interviews | Qualitative: thematic |
| Cicutto et al (2004)35 Canada | Community | 42 | Physician diagnosed COPD Daily symptoms that limit activities |
Male =55% Age range =54–74 years |
Focus groups | Qualitative: constant comparative |
| Ek et al (2011)36 Sweden | Pulmonary specialist clinic | 4 | COPD as primary diagnosis LTOT (16–18 hours a day) |
Male =1 Age range =54–71 years |
Longitudinal qualitative interviews | Qualitative: phenomenological hermeneutical |
| Ellison et al (2012)15 UK | Community-based COPD outpatient clinic | 14 | Spirometry confirmed diagnosis of COPD | Male =7 Age range =49–79 years |
In-depth semistructured interviews | Qualitative: constant comparative |
| Gore et al (2000)16 UK | Chest clinic | 50 | FEV1 <0.751 At least one admission for hypercapnic respiratory failure |
Male =44% Mean age =70.5 years |
Semistructured interviews Quality of life tools Document review |
Qualitative: thematic |
| Gullick and Stainton (2006)38 Australia | Three teaching hospitals | 15 | Severe emphysema FEV1 range 15%–51% |
Male =9 Age range =55–77 years |
Semistructured interviews | Qualitative: hermeneutic phenomenology |
| Guthrie et al (2001)42 UK | Not reported (sample taken from patients participating in a larger study) | 37 (20 at second interview) | Severe COPD | Male =8 Mean age =67 years (sample of 20) |
Longitudinal semistructured interviews | Qualitative |
| Gruffydd-Jones et al (2007)34 UK | District general hospital | 25 | Postadmission with a diagnosis of an acute exacerbation of COPD | Male =11 Mean age =76 years |
Standardized measures Hospital records Semistructured interviews Focus groups | Quantitative: descriptive statistics Qualitative: interpretive phenomenology |
| Gysels and Higginson (2009)17 UK | Hospital respiratory clinics, specialist respiratory nurses’ rounds and consultations, “Breathe Easy” service user meetings, and a GP practice disease register | 18 | Diagnosis of COPD Daily problems of breathlessness |
Male =7 Age range =52–78 years |
Participant observation In-depth interviews | Qualitative: grounded theory |
| Gysels and Higginson (2010)18 UK | Hospital respiratory clinics, specialist respiratory nurses’ rounds and consultations, Breathe Easy service user meetings, and a GP practice disease | 18 | Breathlessness as a problematic symptom of COPD | Male =7 Median age: Outpatients =69 years Community =70 years |
Participant observation In-depth interviews | Qualitative: narrative |
| Hayle et al (2013)40 UK | NHS Trust and independent hospice | 8 | Primary diagnosis of COPD Accessing specialist palliative care |
Male =5 Age range =63–77 years |
Semistructured interviews | Qualitative: hermeneutic phenomenology |
| Hasson et al (2008)30 UK | Hospital | 13 | FEV1 <30% or LTOT or noninvasive ventilation Optimal drug therapy |
Male =10 Median age =65 years |
Semistructured interviews | Qualitative |
| Jackson et al (2012)37 Canada | Acute care nursing unit during admission | 4 | Diagnosis of COPD | Male =1 Age range =57–58 years |
Multiple case study methods | Qualitative: thematic |
| Jones et al (2004)32 UK | Primary care practices | 16 | Maximal therapy for COPD Considered to be in last year of life |
Male =8 Age range =62–83 years |
Semistructured interviews | Qualitative: thematic |
| Lindgren et al (2014)27 Norway | Three GP practices and an outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation clinic | 8 | Diagnosed with mild or moderate COPD | Male =3 Age range =60–74 years |
Semistructured interviews | Qualitative: phenomenological hermeneutic |
| Lowey et al (2013)33 USA | Two Medicare-certified home health agencies | 10 | Oxygen-dependent COPD | Not reported | Semistructured interviews | Qualitative: thematic |
| MacPherson et al (2013)19 UK | GP practice and hospital respiratory team | 10 | Severe COPD (Gold Standards Framework criteria) | Male =9 Age range =58–86 years |
Semistructured interviews | Qualitative: grounded theory |
| McDonald et al (2013)25 Australia | Hospital-based respiratory ambulatory care clinics based | 7 | Confirmed diagnosis of COPD FEV1% predicted mean =44 | Male =3 Mean age =68.7 years |
In-depth semistructured interviews | Qualitative: thematic |
| Nykvist et al (2014)39 Sweden | Primary care | 6 | Diagnosis of COPD | Female =6 Age not reported |
Narrative interviews | Qualitative: narrative |
| Odencrants et al (2005)43 Sweden | Five primary health care clinics | 13 | A diagnosis of COPD according to ICD-10 FEV1 <50% | Male =5 Mean age =68.9 years |
Self-reported diary Semistructured interviews | Qualitative: content |
| Oliver (2001)24 UK | One GP practice and a district general hospital | 17 | Diagnosis of COPD FEV1 <50% of predicted value | Male =12 Age range =59–75 years |
Semistructured interviews | Qualitative: thematic |
| Partridge et al (2011)20 UK, France Italy, Spain Germany | Prerecruited panel who had agreed to take part in research opinion studies | 719 | MRC score >3 | Male (%) =30.5 Mean age =62.4 years |
Quantitative questionnaire- based survey | Quantitative |
| Philip et al (2012)21 Australia | Respiratory outpatient hospital in a tertiary hospital | 10 | COPD Recent admission for a life-threatening exacerbation | Male =6 Age range =55–76 years |
In-depth semistructured interviews | Qualitative: thematic |
| Rodgers et al (2007)22 UK | Pulmonary rehabilitation program within a community hospital | 23 | COPD patients who had attended pulmonary rehabilitation | Male =14 Mean age for each focus group (×4): 65, 68, 63, 70 |
Focus groups | Qualitative: template |
| Schroedl et al (2014)28 USA | Academic medical center | 20 | History of COPD Hospital admission following exacerbation | Male =9 Age range =52–83 years |
Semistructured interviews | Qualitative: thematic |
| Seamark et al (2004)29 UK | GP practice | 10 | Diagnosis of COPD FEV1 <40% predicted | Male =9 Age range =57–85 years |
Semistructured interviews | Qualitative: interpretive phenomenological |
| Skilbeck et al (1998)45 UK | Health district | 63 | Diagnosis of chronic bronchitis, emphysema, chronic asthma, pneumoconiosis, bronchiectasis, nonspecific COAD; admission in last 6 months with exacerbation for 7+ days | Male =33 Age range =55–80 years |
In-depth interviews Quality of life/resource use questionnaires | Qualitative: content Quantitative: descriptive statistics |
| White et al (2011)26 UK | GP practices | 163 | Diagnosis of COPD Two of the following: FEV1 <40%, hospital admission for COPD in last 12 months, long-term oxygen therapy, corpulmonale, use of oral steroids, housebound | Male =50% Mean age =71.63 |
Interview study | Quantitative: statistical analysis Qualitative: thematic |
| Wilson et al (2008)44 Canada | Pulmonary outpatients | 12 | Diagnosis of COPD, chronic bronchitis or emphysema; hospital admission for exacerbation in last 12 months; continuous oxygen, and considered to be in last year of life | Not reported | Longitudinal semistructured interviews | Qualitative: constant comparison |
| Wortz et al (2012)23 USA | Subset of existing trial within university health science center | 47 | Physician diagnosis of COPD | Male =53% Mean age =68.4 |
In-depth interviews | Qualitative: thematic |
Abbreviations: COAD, chronic obstructive airways disease; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; FEV1, forced expiratory volume in 1 second; GP, general practitioner; ICD-10, International Classification of Disease – version 10; LTOT, long-term oxygen therapy; MRC, Medical Research Council.