Supporting patients self-managing respiratory health: a qualitative study on the impact of the Breathe Easy voluntary group network

What is it about?

People with lung problems are starting to manage their lung health by joining patient support groups which can help with getting support and advice about how to care for themselves. We ran a qualitative study looking at the British Lung Foundation's Breathe Easy groups. We interviewed people over the phone and asked them about what they thought about the Breathe Easy groups, how they get referred onto the groups and where this fits in with their treatment in the local NHS, what they thought was positive about the groups, and about where the Breathe Easy groups fitted in with the way the local NHS treated lung conditions. We found out that the people who were members of the groups enjoyed sharing their experiences and receiving support from fellow members, how they had started to manage and care for themselves, how the attendance of healthcare professionals helped, and where the Breathe Easy groups had started to become important to the way the local NHS treated lung conditions.

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