Background: Many patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and fibrotic interstitial lung disease suffer from severe dyspnea and reduced quality of life, despite receiving optimal disease-modifying treatment for their illness. Studies have suggested that these patients may benefit from treatment with low-dose opioids. However, many patients decline opioid treatment. This has led to patients not receiving proper palliative treatment of their lung disease.
Aim: To identify potential barriers that prevent patients from receiving adequate palliative care with opioids and enable doctors to address patients' concerns.
Design: A qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews. Interviews were transcribed and thematic analysis was done using NVivo.
Setting/participants: Patients were recruited when scheduled for out-patient follow-up at Center for Rare Lung Diseases or at the COPD clinic, Aarhus University Hospital. Eligible patients were 18 years of age, did not currently receive opioids or had ever received opioids for dyspnea.
Results: A total of 28 patients participated. One patient was excluded before final analysis of 27 patients. Four themes were identified: Fear of side-effects, Need for more information, Stigma of opioids association with severe illness and dying, and No discernible barriers. Furthermore, three sub-themes to Fear of side-effects were identified: Fear of addiction, concern for sedative effect, and fear for loss of mobility due to inability to drive a car. The most expressed concern was Fear of side-effects, especially addiction.
Conclusions: Pre-conceived notions about opioids prevent some patients with chronic obstructive lung disease or interstitial lung disease from receiving palliative care for breathlessness.
Keywords: analgesics; chronic conditions; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; dyspnea; interstitial*; lung disease; opioid*/therapeutic use; palliative care; qualitative research.