Research Article: Exploring the Link between Social Support and Patient-Reported Outcomes in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study in Primary Care
Abstract:
We aimed to explore the link between social support and various patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in primary care patients with COPD. This was a cross-sectional study with 168 patients with COPD from six primary care centers in Crete, Greece. We collected data on sociodemographic characteristics, medical history, disease-specific quality of life, the COPD Assessment Test (CAT), fatigue, the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), phycological parameters, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, General Anxiety Disorder-7, sleep complaints, the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index, the Athens Insomnia scale (AIS), and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Social support was measured using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Out of 168 patients with COPD, 114 (68.9%) exhibited low levels of social support. Low social support (MSPSS total ? 5) was positively associated with COPD symptoms (CAT score ? 10) (OR = 3.97, 95%CI:1.86–8.44; p < 0.01), fatigue (FSS ? 36) (OR = 2.74, 95%CI:1.31–5.74; p = 0.01), and insomnia symptoms (AIS ? 6) (OR = 5.17 95%CI:2.23–12.01; p < 0.01), while the association with depressive symptoms (PHQ-9 ? 10) was marginally significant (OR = 3.1, 95%CI:0.93–10.36; p = 0.07). Our results suggest that lower levels of social support are positively associated with PROMs in patients with COPD. Therefore, our findings show an additional way to improve the overall health of patients with COPD in primary care by putting social support at the epicenter of actions.
Introduction:
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a highly prevalent and progressive respiratory disease, resulting in substantial morbidity and mortality [1,2,3]. The worldwide prevalence of COPD is approximately 10.3%, but this number may increase as smoking becomes more common in low- and middle-income countries and as the population ages in high-income countries [4]. In Greece, it has been approximated that around 8.4–10.6% of the Greek population is affected by COPD, with a particularly pronounced impact on the…
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