Family Caregivers and Breathlessness in Individuals with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Family caregivers care for individuals in the home environment. Family caregivers of individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) observe breathlessness in the care recipient. Breathlessness is a main symptom of COPD, and watching breathlessness creates emotional distress and a toll on family caregivers. The purpose of this integrative review was to explore the literature on family caregivers and witnessed breathlessness in individuals with COPD. An understanding of family caregiver experiences of breathlessness will allow for further development of evidence-based practice and research. An integrative review was performed using the five-step process of the Whittemore and Knafl Integrative Review Model. Literature search results were reported using the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. An overarching theme of constant care and burden resulted from the 18 studies on family caregivers and witnessed breathlessness in individuals with COPD. Three themes: psychosocial implications of caregivers, response ambiguity, and knowledge of interventions represented family caregivers and breathlessness in the care recipient among the studies. This integrative review provides insight on family caregivers and witnessed breathlessness in individuals with COPD. An understanding of the family caregiver perception of breathlessness in the care recipient can help home healthcare professionals empathize with and offer support specific to the needs of family caregivers of individuals with breathlessness from COPD, heart failure, and other chronic diseases.