Exploring the Link between Social Support and Patient-Reported Outcomes in COPD Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study in Primary Care

<bold>Background:</bold> The association between perceived social support and self-reported health in COPD patients has not been extensively studied. <bold>Aims and Objectives:</bold> To explore the link between social support and various patients' reported outcome measures (PROMs) in primary care patients with COPD. <bold>Methods:</bold> This was a cross-sectional study with 168 patients with COPD from six primary care centers in Crete, Greece. We collected sociodemographic characteristics, medical history, disease specific quality of life; COPD assessment test (CAT), fatigue; Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), phycological parameters; Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and General Anxiety Disorder-7, and sleep complaints; Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index, Athens Insomnia scale (AIS) and Epworth sleepiness scale. Social support was measured using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). <bold>Results:</bold> Out of 168 patients with COPD, 114 (68.9%) exhibited low levels of social support. Low social support (MSPSS total ≤5) was positively associated with COPD symptoms (CAT score≥10) (OR=3.97, 95%CI:1.86–8.44; p<0.01), fatigue (FSS≥36) (OR = 2.74, 95%CI:1.31–5.74; p=0.01), insomnia symptoms (AIS≥6) (OR=5.17 95%CI:2.23-12.01; p<0.01), while the association with depressive symptoms (PHQ-9≥10) was marginally significant (OR=3.1, 95%CI:0.93–10.36; p=0.07). <bold>Conclusion:</bold> Our results suggest that lower levels of social support are positively asociated with PROMs in patients with COPD. Therefore, our findings show an additional way to improve the overall health of patients with COPD in primary care by putting social support in the epicenter of actions.