Do a health education booklet and telephone follow-up regarding the use of long-term oxygen therapy influence patients' health-related outcomes?

Abstract

Long-term oxygen therapy is the cornerstone of treatment for patients with end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic respiratory failure. Patients must adhere to it to improve respiratory function as well as health status. Aim: To determine the influence of a health educational booklet and telephone follow-up sessions about long-term oxygen therapy influence on patients’ health-related outcomes. Research design: One group pre-and post-test. Setting: Chest Diseases Department and Outpatient Chest Clinic within the Main Assuit University Hospital. Subject: Thirty patients with COPD received LTOT. Tool one: A structured interviews sheet with COPD patients. Tool two: Health Status assessment questionnaire involved two parts: the first section, the Saint George’s Respiratory Questionnaire for COPD Patients (SGRQ-C), and the second section, the Modified Medical Research Council Dyspnoea Scale (MMRC). Results: After receiving a health educational booklet and subsequent telephone follow-up sessions at 3 and 6 months, there was a noteworthy enhancement in arterial blood gas values and all components of the Saint George's Respiratory and Dyspnea scores, displaying statistical significance (p-value = 0.001**). Conclusion: The health educational booklet and telephone follow-up sessions regarding LTOT usage led to enhancements in patients' health-related outcomes, a reduced frequency of hospital admissions, alleviated dyspnea, improved arterial blood gas and spirometry values, and enhanced overall health status. Recommendations: A health educational booklet and subsequent telephone follow-up sessions are recommended to be an integral part of and relevant to patients’ education to uncover patients’ attitudes toward clinical practice procedures.