Countering stigma in self-management in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: co-creation and feasibility of an intervention to improve health

People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD, are often stigmatized due to previous long-term smoking. Stigma has been highlighted as a barrier to self-management.

Still, research linking the concepts of stigma and self-management is scarce, even though self-management is crucial for most chronic conditions.The purpose is to develop and assess the feasibility of an intervention to counter the impact of stigma on self-management in people with COPD.The project will be conducted by the applicant and her gathered interdisciplinary team with expertise in physiotherapy, sociology, nursing, and medicine.

Three studies will be conducted in 2024-2028;Workshop study to examine how people with COPD, relatives and healthcare professionals experience and deal with COPD-related stigma in relation to self-management.Co-creation study to develop an innovative intervention together with key stakeholders, including people with COPD, relatives, representatives from patient associations and healthcare, and decision makers.Mixed methods randomized feasibility study to assess feasibility of the intervention, study design and implementation strategy, to prepare for an upcoming RCT.The project will provide evidence in a new research area – linking stigma and self-management.

This evidence, in combination with the perspective of key stakeholders, will contribute to novel understanding of what characteristics are important in stigma interventions.