Introduction:
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is accompanied by troublesome symptoms such as shortness of breath, and the disease can severely impair the patient’s daily functioning. The treatment consists of many elements that together allow the patient to cope with the symptoms of the disease and the adverse effects of therapy, reducing the frequency of exacerbations. The aim of this qualitative study was to better understand the experiences of patients with COPD, especially their subjective assessment of the effectiveness of treatment.

Material and methods:
This is a qualitative interview study. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis, with NVivo 12.2 Pro QRS International software.

Results:
The study was conducted in a group of 50 patients (29 men, 21 women, mean age: 73.8 ±9.4 years), at the National Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases in Warsaw (Poland). According to the subjective opinion of the study participants, the applied treatment is effective. However, the patients report a significant negative impact of the disease on their everyday life and physical activity. The feeling of breathlessness makes them passive and avoid physical exertion. Treatment mainly consists of pharmacotherapy and oxygen therapy. In general, they do not perform breathing exercises. Exacerbations occur irregularly in some of the patients. The patients exhibit poor knowledge and skills necessary for effective self-management.

Conclusions:
Despite the COPD patients’ sense of good disease control, the treatment effectiveness is not satisfactory. There is a need to implement patient-centered comprehensive educational activities combined with behavioral strategies.