A summary of current challenges reported by patients/carers involved in the study in all four countries; theme expressed/accepted is indicated as ✓; if box empty, no opinion was expressed on the theme; for Irish and Dutch data: brackets show by whom theme is expressed (patients and/or carers)
| Challenges | UK patients and carers | Greek patients and carers | Dutch patients and carers | Irish patients and carers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miscellaneous | Various methods to remember to take medicines | Long waiting times to get medical help | Dissatisfaction with patient education | |
| Fragmented care | Healthcare services and communication between HCPs | Communication between HCPs | ||
| Adherence to medication | ✓ | ✓ | ✓, inhalers especially challenging | ✓, inhalers especially challenging |
| Many reasons for patients' non-adherence to medication | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Patients’ poor mental health | ✓ | ✓ | ✓(carers) | |
| Limited healthcare resources for patients | ✓ | ✓ | ✓, limited or delayed access to resources and care (carers) | |
| Reported satisfaction with | 24-hour COPD care in ‘HOT’ clinic at the UK research centre | Pulmonary clinic, pharmacist, care for diabetes and CHF | Secretion clearance device |
If no differentiation, then the theme is expressed only by patients, with no contribution from carers.
CHF, chronic heart failure; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; HCPs, healthcare professionals.