We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Patients' and caregivers' experiences of driving with chronic breathlessness before and after regular low-dose sustained-release morphine: A qualitative study.
- Authors
Ferreira, Diana H; Boland, Jason W; Kochovska, Slavica; Honson, Aaron; Phillips, Jane L; Currow, David C
- Abstract
Background: Chronic breathlessness is a disabling syndrome that profoundly impacts patients' and caregivers' lives. Driving is important for most people, including those with advanced disease. Regular, low-dose, sustained-release morphine safely reduces breathlessness, but little is known about its impact on driving. Aim: To understand patients' and caregivers' (1) perspectives and experiences of driving with chronic breathlessness; and (2) perceived impact of regular, low-dose, sustained-release morphine on driving. Design: A qualitative study embedded in a pragmatic, phase III, randomised, placebo-controlled trial of low-dose, sustained-release morphine (⩽32 mg/24 h) for chronic breathlessness. Semi-structured interviews were conducted immediately after participants withdrew or completed the randomised, placebo-controlled trial. Informed by grounded theory, a constant comparative approach to analysis was adopted. Setting/participants: Participants were recruited from an outpatients palliative care service in Adelaide, Australia. Participants included patients (n = 13) with severe breathlessness associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and their caregivers (n = 9). Results: Participants were interviewed at home. Eleven received morphine 8–32 mg. Three themes emerged: (1) independence; (2) breathlessness' impact on driving; and (3) driving while taking regular, low-dose, sustained-release morphine. Conclusion: Driving contributed to a sense of identity and independence. Being able to drive increased the physical and social space available to patients and caregivers, their social engagement and well-being. Patients reported breathlessness at rest may impair driving skills, while the introduction of sustained-release morphine seemed to have no self-reported impact on driving. Investigating this last perception objectively, especially in terms of safety, is the subject of ongoing work.
- Subjects
AUSTRALIA; AUTOMOBILE driving; PSYCHOLOGY of caregivers; CHRONIC diseases; CONTROLLED release preparations; DYSPNEA; GROUNDED theory; INTERVIEWING; OBSTRUCTIVE lung diseases; RESEARCH methodology; MORPHINE; PALLIATIVE treatment; PATIENTS; QUALITATIVE research; THEMATIC analysis; CAREGIVER attitudes; PATIENTS' attitudes; DISEASE complications
- Publication
Palliative Medicine, 2020, Vol 34, Issue 8, p1078
- ISSN
0269-2163
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1177/0269216320929549