Support Mr. Barley emotionally

At this point, it is necessary to support Mr. Barley emotionally as well.  Information about support groups both in person and online should be provided. Resources for additional information about COPD should be supplied as well. 

Education on medications including the use of metered dose inhalers (MDI)/inhaled bronchodilators and corticosteroids should also be discussed. It is important to reinforce that no medication will reverse the disease process however, these medications will reduce the severity of the symptoms felt by Mr. Barley. (Buttaro, Trybulski, Polgar-Bailey, and Sandberg-Cook, 2017). An assessment of Mr. Barley’s current knowledge on how to use MDI’s and preferred learning style is necessary to determine the type of education utilized.  The use of demonstration/ return demonstration was utilized within the case study and is a measurable way to assess assimilated knowledge from teaching. It is also important to discuss with Mr. Barley when to seek medical attention in the future relating to his COPD which includes changes in breathing quality (i.e. increased dyspnea) and productive cough with changes in phlegm amount, color or thickness. (Bostock-Cox, 2017). A preventative measure that Mr. Barley can take is to be sure to stay current on his immunizations including pertussis (DTaP), influenza, and pneumococcus. Seo, Hong, Kim, Choi, Baek, Lee, Song, Lee, Cheong, and Kim (2013) indicate that the influenza vaccine does decrease the risk of COPD exacerbations requiring hospitalization by 27 %. Follow up appointments should be set up to ascertain the effectiveness of the medications and further understanding of Mr. Barley’s diagnosis, perhaps to include his wife and or daughters. Follow up appointments also yield information about depression related to changes in health status as well as an opportunity to assess for weight gain related to corticosteroid use and assessment of smoking cessation.