There are four main profiles of COPD patients (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), according to the results of a recently published study called “Impact of attitudes and dynamics of patients on
life needs and experiences during their COPD journey: an ethnographic study “, carried out in Spain by Javier Martínez Guiu, Dr. Iván Arroyo Fernández and Raül Rubio Renau, published in” Expert Review of Respiratory Medicine “1 and made with the support of AstraZeneca .
The objective of this study was to fully understand the attitudes and needs of COPD patients, as well as their influence on the different phases of the patient’s journey, both from their perspective and from that of healthcare professionals.
The profiles identified in the study are: “ proactive controller ”, “ naive minimizer ”, “ tightrope walker ” and “ defeated sufferer ”. These profiles and their characteristics are part of the new AstraZeneca En EPOC El Cero Cuenta patient space , which aims to raise awareness about the disease and which addresses both its own aspects (causes, symptoms, diagnosis) and other related aspects as prevention or how to live with it.
Increased life expectancy leads to more chronic patients
The ethnographic study shows that the management of COPD is based on the healthy behaviors of the patients, which are influenced by multiple factors such as personality and their ability to cope with the physical and psychological effects of the disease. For example, the “proactive” profile shows a slower progression of the disease, due to its high level of adherence to treatment, compared to the “defeated” profile, whose lack of motivation and reaction explains its faster progression, and the “ tightrope walker, “whose unhealthy lifestyle is detrimental to their health.
This publication also identifies the unmet needs of patients, related to information and education about the disease . Addressing these gaps can contribute to increasing adherence to treatment and modifying health-related behaviors, which will lead to better outcomes in the management of patients with COPD.
