Person-centered care may improve symptom management and quality of life among patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Patient-reported outcomes measures (PROMs) can support identification of individual needs and enhance person-centered care.

This study aimed to explore patients? experience of the application of a generic version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer-Quality of Life Questionnaire Palliative (EORTC-PAL) to support identification of and communication about individual needs.

Patients with moderate-severe COPD from the respiratory outpatient clinic at Vejle Hospital, Denmark took part in semi-structured telephone interview, analyzed inductively based on qualitative content analysis.

Patients (n=9) had a mean age of 66.4 years (±10.1) and 56% were male. All patients would like the EORTC-PAL to be part of routine care, as they found that it supported identification of significant needs related to COPD and initiated conversations about individual issues. Some patients elaborated that EORTC-PAL prepared them to be honest about psychosocial issues. When health professionals addressed those important, but sensitive issues, patients willingly shared their feelings of loneliness, sadness, inadequacy or low self-worth for the first time. This increased awareness about wellbeing and symptom burden.

From the patient perspective, using PROMs to identify care needs in an outpatient clinic enable patients? readiness to reflect upon and discuss individual needs, often related to psychosocial issues. With the purpose of providing holistic care, health professionals need to follow up on patients? responses by addressing the identified issues.