Patients' perspectives on an educational course for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF)

<bold>Background:</bold> IPF is a chronic progressiv fibrotic lung disease with an average three- year survival of approx 50%. A former study showed that patients with IPF were craving for information on several areas, with regards to their illness as-well as how to manage symptoms. A two-hour course for patients with IPF was established in a Department of Respiratory Medicine to improve patients’ quality of life, living with their condition, and adhering to therapy. <bold>Aim:</bold> To explore the patients' assessment of the educational course's quality and their perspectives on participation <bold>Method</bold> Using a qualitative research design, two focus group interviews were conducted, involving nine patients with IPF and eight relatives who attended the educational course. Data was analysed using theme-analysis inspired by Brown and Clark, grounded in the concepts of Critical Psychology. <bold>Results:</bold> Interviews revealed that living with IPF had an impact on conceived quality of life on patients and their families conduct of everyday life concerning management of the disease symptoms and side effects to the anti-fibrosis medication. Furthermore, they described a need for a place where they could obtain specialized knowledge within IPF as well as an opportunity to meet others in the same situation with the possibility of reflecting management strategies for living with IPF. <bold>Conclusions:</bold> Patients expressed a need for an educational approach towards learning to live with IPF in collaboration with healthcare IPF specialist because of the severity of the disease. The two-hour course, in group settings, emerged as a valuable and well-received method to address the patients' need for specialized knowledge and support in navigating life with IPF.