| Budget Amount *help |
¥3,200,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,200,000)
Fiscal Year 2006: ¥500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000)
Fiscal Year 2005: ¥400,000 (Direct Cost: ¥400,000)
Fiscal Year 2004: ¥2,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,300,000)
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| Research Abstract |
The purpose of this study is to find out how chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients in their stable period manage their own respiratory infections, identify the symptoms and signs used to monitor respiratory infections, and examine tools that could be used to assess respiratory infection symptoms in COPD patients.
First, I interviewed (semiconstitutive interview method) seven COPD patients who have not been hospitalized for any acute exacerbation from respiratory infection in the preceding year. The interviewees revealed that they took oral cold medicine at the early onset of a cold, and that a doctor's visit would follow without delay if symptoms persisted, suggesting the importance of making a timely decision to seek medical attention. Also the objective indicators (e.g., body temperature and oxygen saturation) were monitored by interviewees to establish baseline references that could be used to detect changes, reflecting the importance of the objective monitoring of health conditions.
Based on these results, we asked nine COPD patients to monitor their sputum, changes in perceived physical condition, cough, body temperature, nasal discharge, sneeze, sore throat, oxygen saturation, pulse, spirit/stamina, and appetite and rate these conditions on a scale of 0 (none) to 10 (a lot). The results showed six of the nine subjects reporting deteriorating symptoms and signs and changes indicating recovery. The subjects who showed deteriorating symptoms reported that aggravations in coughs, sputum viscosity, sputum quantity, nasal discharge, and sneeze, had preceded a low-grade fever, which was accompanied or followed one day later by low spirit, stamina, and appetite. The detection of yellow sputum tended to occur after the onset of fever. The above suggest that monitoring these indicators is an effective way for COPD patients to detect any change in their own health condition in a timely manner, and that it also helps prevent a potential acute exacerbation.
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