Living in a rural area with advanced chronic respiratory illness: a qualitative study.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the impact of living with advanced chronic respiratory illness in a rural area


METHODS
Using an interpretive descriptive approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven people living with advanced chronic respiratory illness in a rural area of Western Canada.


RESULTS
Themes that characterised the experience of living in a rural setting with a chronic obstructive respiratory illness included: a) distance as a barrier to accessing health care; b) relationships with family practice physicians; c) supportive local community; and d) lack of respiratory education and peer support.


CONCLUSIONS
Whilst living with advanced respiratory illness in a rural area posed some significant challenges, experiences of "place", conceptualised as a web of relationships embedded within a local context, are an important factor in rural residents' decisions to remain in situations where distance may present significant challenges to accessing health care.
Goodridge
Donna
D
University of Saskatchewan, College of Nursing, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. donna.goodridge@usask.ca
Hutchinson
Shelly
S
Wilson
Donna
D
Ross
Carolyn
C
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001987:Bronchiectasis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012307:Risk Factors; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000592:standards* / Q000639:trends; D012424:Rural Population; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012525:Saskatchewan; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome