Informal caregivers experience of supplemental oxygen in pulmonary fibrosis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Patients prescribed supplemental oxygen (O₂) therapy face challenges as they adjust to being constantly "tethered" to an oxygen delivery device. Informal caregivers (ICs) of patients with pulmonary fibrosis (PF) face their own, often overlooked hardships when O₂ is brought into their home and added to their lives. Our aim was to understand the multiple effects of supplemental oxygen therapy on ICs of patients with PF.

Methods

We conducted single, semi-structured telephone interviews with twenty ICs of patients with PF who were using O₂ for at least 8 months. We performed a qualitative, content analysis based in grounded theory to examine data across subjects.

Results

ICs initially reacted to O₂ with trepidation an

SUBMITTER: Graney BA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5494136 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature