Table 1.
Inclusion and exclusion criteria
| Participants | |
|---|---|
| Patients with a clinical diagnosis of COPD | |
| Inclusion | Exclusion |
| • Age > 40 years | • Severe problems with vision or hearing |
| • FEV1/FVC ratio < 70% | • Diagnosed with cognitive impairments |
| • GOLD stage ≥2, Spirometry FEV1 < 80% predicted | • Primary diagnosis of asthma, cardiac disease or other major functionally limiting diseases |
| • ≥ 1 exacerbationa in the last 12 months prior to entering this study (to ensure adequate recall of their experience of an exacerbation). | • Life expectancy ≤ three months |
| Health care providers | |
| Inclusion | Exclusion |
| • Having a patient-health care provider relationship with COPD patients | NA |
| • Supporting COPD patients in self-management. | |
| • At least 1 year experience in COPD care. | |
Abbreviation: NA = not applicable; GOLD, Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease; FEV1, forced expiratory volume in 1 s; FVC, forced vital capacity
aAn exacerbation was defined as a period of symptom deterioration in which use of a course of corticosteroids and/or antibiotics was required or hospitalization was necessary; Clinical diagnosis was based on data from Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease [1].