Background: COPD is a progressive, incurable, co-morbid condition that significantly affects a person’s life at the bio-psycho-social-spiritual level. Yet access to timely palliative care practices that can improve patient and caregiver outcomes across these domains can be lacking. Innovative, collaborative models of care are needed now and in the future to better support patients with COPD and their caregivers. Nurse-led supportive care was embedded in an existing nurse-led COPD outpatient model of care through a collaboration between respiratory and palliative care services at Nepean Hospital in NSW. COPD supportive care was led by an experienced palliative care nurse whose role in the COPD service was to provide specialist palliative care assessment and advice to patients. In addition, the aim was to provide mentorship and build the respiratory teams' skills, capability and confidence providing primary palliative care assessment and management. 

Aim: To explore patients and their caregivers’ experiences of a nurse-led COPD supportive care service.
Methods: As a component of a broader case study research project, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of patients and their caregivers (n=19) between 2020 and 2022. Data from interview transcripts were analysed using content analysis.
Findings: Preliminary findings relate to patient and caregiver experiences of: quality of life before COPD supportive care; positive effect on symptoms; openness to discussing Advance Care Planning; helpful types of support; and continuity of relationships with staff.
Conclusion: Patients and caregivers’ experiences of nurse-led COPD supportive care were overwhelmingly positive. Participants described improvements in their quality of life and illness experience, shedding light on what patients and caregivers view as valuable aspects of a supportive care approach within a chronic illness context. Understanding the experience of patients and caregivers is essential in developing services that truly meet the bio-psycho-social-spiritual needs of patients living with chronic, life limiting illness.