Improving end of life (EOL) care has been a goal for medicine, nursing, and the public over the past decade. Most studies have focused on patients with cancer. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. Several studies suggest that EOL care is worse for patients with COPD compared to cancer. The purpose of this study is to identify the important EOL caring needs for people dying with COPD, as compared with cancer, from the perspectives of patients, family members, and nurses. This will be accomplished by analyzing two preexisting data sets. First, analysis of 884 completed surveys from nurses rating the importance of 45 different roles and skills for quality EOL caring for patients with life-limiting illness will be analyzed. Next, content analysis of nurse, patient and family interviews will be conducted to identify perspectives of the nursing therapeutics important to EOL caring needs for patients with severe COPD compared to metastatic cancer. Analyses will focus on nursing therapeutics important in caring for persons with COPD at the EOL. Findings will be synthesized and integrated within the context of Swanson's Model of Caring. The results will identify the important EOL caring needs to be included in interventions designed to improve EOL care for patients with COPD. ? ? ?
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