Lauren Syersak

Summary of Research Article

My article is “How do patients with exacerbated chronic obstructive pulmonary

disease experience care in the intensive care unit?” This article focuses on COPD

patients and the emotions they experience during an exacerbation. COPD patients often

feel helplessness, overwhelmed, and anxiety. The article contends that non-invasive

ventilator (NIV) treatment is better in many cases than the COPD patient being on the

ventilator, due to experiencing less trauma and side effects. However, being on the NIV

can still be scary for the patients. As nurses, it is crucial that we cooperate with our

patients and empathize with them.

During the study in the article, many patients were interviewed at two different

ICU’s. They were asked to describe their experience in the hospital in as much detail as

they could. In summary, all of the patients interviewed had revealed a feeling of being

“trapped,” as during their hospitalization, they were not in control, but the medical

system was. Many of the patients described feeling unable to breathe, drowning in

mucus, and being unable to speak. Patients that had nurses and doctors that helped

them feel safe and in control had better experiences than those who didn’t.

The study concluded that patients need to trust that they will be helped. They

gain this trust by competent staff. Patients also felt better when staff was observant,

kind, and positive. Patients felt worse when they felt ignored. As nurses, we have to

understand what it’s like in the shoes of our patients. If we could not breathe, we would

want someone there to take care of us and reassure us that we weren’t alone, and that

is exactly what these patients want too.