A Learning Needs Assessment in Participants with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Pilot Study.

Purpose: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by airflow limitation and persistent respiratory symptoms, which may negatively affect the individual's quality of life. Pulmonary rehabilitation is considered the standard of care for subjects with COPD. The health care professionals staffing pulmonary rehabilitation programs are charged with educating subjects about their chronic lung disease. The purpose of this pilot study was to describe the perceived learning needs of subjects with COPD.

Methods: This descriptive study recruited 15 participants diagnosed with COPD who were enrolled or who had recently completed a hospital-based outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation program. The coordinator administered a 40-question survey individually to the participants; all participants returned completed surveys. The survey asked, "Personally, how interested are you in learning about...," followed by the list of 40 educational topics related to COPD. The 40 educational topics were divided into five categories. Participants read the written survey at their own pace and individually provided their level of interest on a 5-point Likert scale. The data were uploaded to SPSS Statistical Software and descriptive statistics were obtained.

Results: For the topic items, the mean and mode scores and the frequency that the mode score occurred were reported. Topics related to survival skills generated the highest mean score among the respondents: mean, mode, and mode frequency scores of 4.80, 5, and 86.7% respectively. Topics on lifestyle issues generated the lowest mean score: mean, mode, and mode frequency of 1.79, 1, and 73.3% respectively.

Conclusions: This study suggests subjects with COPD are interested in learning about managing their disease.