title: Perception of chronic respiratory impairment in patients' drawings.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the perception of dyspnoea in patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study using mixed methods.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-two patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were included. Data collected included 3 health-related quality of life questionnaires (SF-36, St George and Maugeri respiratory questionnaires) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HADS) to assess the impact of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease on quality of life and psychological functioning. Patients were then asked to draw their body and represent difficulties related to breathing. Drawings were coded and categorized. Patients' comments were transcribed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HADS showed scores of depression and anxiety as high as 12.3 ± 2.6 and 9.3 ± 2.2, respectively; SF-36 subscales were severely affected, and the St Georges and Maugeri questionnaires indicated a high impact of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (79 ± 13 and 60 ± 18, respectively). Drawings illustrated the pervasiveness of dyspnoea; patients' comments stressed breathlessness. Obstruction and tightening were salient, with a prominent representation of the head and internal structures, e.g. the lungs and the airways.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients' drawings capture a global expression of illness experience. They provide insight into the heterogeneity of patients' perceptions, and allow acknowledgement of patients' representations and experiences. This may, in turn, help in gaining patients' participation in rehabilitation programmes or adherence to new medications.
authors.affiliation: Division of General Medical Rehabilitation, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland. christophe.luthy@hcuge.ch
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Luthy
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cedraschi
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pasquina
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Uldry
authors.forename: Noëlle
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Junod-Perron
authors.forename: Jean-Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Janssens
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D018594:Human Body; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008512:Medicine in the Arts; D008875:Middle Aged; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012647:Self-Assessment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires