Examining the effect of fear of coronavirus on compliance with treatment in individuals diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Aim: The research was conducted descriptively to determine the effect of coronavirus fear on the treatment compliance level of individuals diagnosed with COPD. Material and Method: The study was conducted with 262 patients diagnosed with COPD hospitalized in the Chest Diseases Department of Malatya Turgut Ozal University Training and Research Hospital between November 2022 and June 2023. In order to conduct the study, the necessary permissions from the relevant institutions, ethics committee approval, and written informed consent from the individuals participating in the study were obtained. The data of the study were collected using the Identifier Characteristics Form, Saint George Respiratory Questionnaire, Covid-19 Fear Scale, and Morisky 8-Item Medication Adherence Scale. Results: The mean age of the patients participating in the study was 67.95±14.35, and 56.9% of the patients were male. The mean score of the patients' medication compliance was 2.58±1.41, and the mean score of Covid-19 Fear was 16.74±7.41. The mean score of the symptom sub-dimension of the SGRQ scale was 49.88±23.74, the mean score of the disease effects sub-dimension was 44.18±16.18, the mean score of the activity limitation sub-dimension was 64.15±22.75, and the mean score of the SGRQ scale was 51.89±9.093. In patients with COPD, a negative, statistically insignificant effect of the fear of coronavirus on treatment compliance was found (p=0.104, r=0.101). A positive correlation was found between the level of fear of coronavirus in individuals with COPD and the total score of the SGRQ (p=0.333, r=0.199). A positive correlation was found between patients' compliance with treatment and SGRQ total score (p=0.104, r=-0.101) Conclusion: As the fear of coronavirus increased in individuals diagnosed with COPD, the level of compliance with treatment decreased. As the fear of coronavirus increased in individuals diagnosed with COPD, the SGRQ total score increased. At the same time, the level of compliance with treatment increased as the SGRQ total score increased. It was recommended that patients and their relatives be informed about the treatment process, education, and Covid-19. In order to alleviate the anxiety of patients during the pandemic and the following period, their psychological state should be supported, the importance of check-ups should be emphasized, and their level of knowledge should be increased for their compliance with treatment. Keywords: COPD, Fear of Coronavirus, Treatment Adherence