THE EFFECT OF THE SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT PROGRAM ON DYSPNEA IN SMOKERS WITH CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE

The purpose of this experimental research was to examine the effect of the symptom management program on dyspnea in smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Sixty-six smokers with COPD were randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group using blocked randomization (N = 33 each). The participants in the control group received the usual care while those in the experimental group participated in the symptom management program and received the usual care. The 12-week symptom management program was developed based on the symptom management model by Dodd et al. and the self-management concept by Tobin et al. The program consisted of four components including: 1) the exploring of dyspnea experience, 2) the motivation building for dyspnea management, 3) the skill training for dyspnea management, and 4) the monitoring the practices of dyspnea management. The outcome variables were dyspnea which evaluated using visual analog scale and pulmonary function (the percentage predicted values of forced expiratory volume in one second) which evaluated using KoKo pulmonary function test spirometer. An independent t-test and paired t-test were used for data analysis. The findings revealed that the participants in the experimental group had significantly lower dyspnea scores than those in the control group (p < .001). In addition, after participating in the symptom management program, the FEV1% predicted were significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group. These findings indicate that the symptom management program can significantly improve the lung function and dyspnea in smokers with COPD.