Effects of self-management education on quality of life of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Purpose: To explore the effects of self-management education on the quality of life of patients living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods: Eighty-four stable or discharged COPD subjects were recruited from April 2011 to January 2012 following treatment at Beijing Hospital or Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Subjects were divided into an intervention group who underwent self-management education or a control group who received usual care without additional education (n = 42 each). The St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) was used to measure quality of life at three and six months. Results: SGRQ impact domain scores revealed significant differences between the groups (t = −2.167, p < 0.05) at three months. SGRQ symptom, impact, activity domain and total scores revealed significant differences between groups (t = −3.482 to −2.530, p < 0.05) at six months. Conclusion: A nurse-led, simple, structured self-management education program provided an effective method for the management of patients with COPD