title: Telemedicine to support coping resources in home-living patients diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Patients' experiences.
abstract: Introduction The way in which telemedicine contributes to promote coping and independence might be undervalued in the development of telemedicine solutions and the implementation of telemedicine interventions. This study explored how home-living patients diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) experienced follow-up using telemedicine, and the extent to which the implemented technology was able to support and improve the patients' coping resources and independence. Methods A qualitative approach with individual semi-structured interviews was used. Ten patients diagnosed with COPD participated. The data were transcribed verbatim and a qualitative content analysis method was used, including analyses of the manifest and latent content of the texts. Results The participants' positive attitude to handling and understanding the technology and the positive and negative feelings related to use the technology derived the theme: "The telemedicine solution is experienced as comprehensible and manageable and provides meaning in daily life". The importance of telemedicine services that provided trust and confidence, the intervention's impact on independence and self-management and the intervention's ability to support integrity and meaning in life, derived the theme: "The telemedicine intervention contributes to stress reduction caused by illness burden and facilitates living as normally as possible". Discussion The impact of a telemedicine intervention might be influenced by the experience of a technological solution that requires little effort to deal with, while it must also provide meaning in life. Furthermore, the telenurses' expertise and the intervention's flexibility, i.e. possibilities for individual adaption, might promote coping to facilitate living as normally as possible despite illness.
authors: 1 Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, Centre for eHealth and Health Care Technology University of Agder, Grimstad Norway.|2 Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, Centre for Caring Research, Southern Norway, University of Agder, Grimstad Norway.
authors: Torunn K
authors: TK
authors: Vatnøy
authors: 1 Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, Centre for eHealth and Health Care Technology University of Agder, Grimstad Norway.
authors: Elin
authors: E
authors: Thygesen
authors: 2 Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, Centre for Caring Research, Southern Norway, University of Agder, Grimstad Norway.
authors: Bjørg
authors: B
authors: Dale
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011788:Quality of Life; D012648:Self Care / Q000379:methods*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000517:prevention & control; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Telemedicine; coping; patient satisfaction; quality of life; technology acceptance