Determination of care dependency levels and related factors in chronic obstructive pulmonary patients admitted to the emergency department

The study was conducted prospectively and descriptively in order to determine the care dependency levels and associated factors of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients who were admitted to the emergency department. The universe of the study consisted of 208 patients who were admitted to the emergency department of a state hospital with a diagnosis of COPD between January 2024-June 2024, and the sample consisted of 197 COPD patients. Data were collected using the Patient Information Form and the Care Dependency Scale using the face-to-face interview technique. Data were evaluated using number, percentage, mean, independent groups t-test, one-way ANOVA test, Pearson chi-square test and Fisher Freeman Halton test. The patients' Care Dependency Scale mean score was found to be 46.09±19.47, which was below the average. A statistically significant difference was found between the care dependency levels of the patients and "gender, age, retirement/employment status, education level, smoking status, people living together, duration of COPD diagnosis, presence of additional chronic disease, use of medication related to chronic disease, use of inhaler medication, use of oxygen at home, use of pulse oximetry at home, type of admission to emergency department, presence of a companion in the emergency department, frequency of admission to emergency department, presence of chest pain and fever among the complaints during admission to emergency department, duration of stay in the emergency department, clinical decision made in the emergency department, status of admission to intensive care unit after emergency department in the last two years, type of discharge, perception of having sleep problems, status of the disease making it difficult to pray, presence of a primary caregiver, status of being registered with home health services, use of assistive device/person" (p<0.05). In addition, it was determined that "smoking status, heating method of the house, duration of COPD diagnosis and oxygen use at home" affected the frequency of patients' admission to emergency department (p<0.05). It is recommended that nursing education and consultancy services be provided to reduce care dependency in COPD, which causes the patient to experience limitations. Key Words: Care, COPD, Dependency, Emergency, Nursing