Therapy compliance in patients with Obesity hypoventilation syndrome combined with non-invasive ventilation

<bold>Summary</bold> <bold>Background and purpose</bold> Within the Centre for Home Ventilation (CTB) Groningen, CTB nurses experience that patients with Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome (OHS) have more difficulty in being compliant to treatment with non-invasive ventilation (NIV). This study aims to find out the influencing factors in therapy non-adherence to NIV in OHS patients and what role the CTB nurse has in this process. <bold>Method:</bold> The design of the qualitative study involved a holistic case-control study. The perceptions of eight OHS patients with NIV were assessed by interviewing and 11 CTB nurses participated in a focus group discussion. The interviews and focus group were analysed thematically. <bold>Results and discussion:</bold> Four key themes emerged from the analysis: perception of NIV, guidance of NIV, autonomy and vision the care process of OHS patients by the CTB nurses. OHS patients experienced discomfort from NIV: they perceived dry mouth and freedom of movement when sleeping with NIV as a limiting factor. Starting in an acute admission with NIV was found to affect therapy non-adherence. Moreover, they wished for more intensive guidance from the CTB nurses. The CTB nurses indicated that they provided adequate guidance to patients. They were of the opinion that therapy adherence was a shared responsibility. <bold>Conclusion and recommendations:</bold> OHS patients saw discomfort as a limiting factor in being compliant with NIV. In addition, they desired more intensive counselling. The CTB nurses felt that they were already providing tailored counselling. A follow-up study is recommended to measure whether more intensive counselling leads to greater compliance.