Literature review and development of pictorial action plan to promote self-management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

This study aimed to review relevant literature and develop a pictorial action plan (PAP) to enhance self-management among older patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In Stage 1, an integrative review was conducted to identify key elements of respiratory self-management action plans. In Stage 2, cartoon pictograms with plain descriptions were designed. In Stage 3, the PAP was validated by 40 older patients with COPD and an expert panel. While the eight included studies demonstrated positive effects on knowledge and quality of life, key elements identified included: traffic light motif, plain and explicit language, and several action plan topics. The final PAP comprises three traffic light-coloured zones and 24 pictograms that introduce self-management strategies for normal, decreasing, and severely decreased airflow. After revising the cartoon characters, all of the pictograms received guessability ratings above 70% and acceptable mean translucency ratings. The integrative review provides evidence about the effectiveness and key elements of PAPs. The PAP developed was found to be valid and feasible for use among older patients with chronic respiratory conditions. This study offered an example of translating evidence into patient education practice to enhance self-management in older patients with COPD. •Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is poorly self-managed among older patients.•Low literacy created barriers to mastering self-management knowledge and skills.•Theory-driven, evidence-based, pictorial action plans were formed to fill the gap.•This valid and feasible tool can be applied to enhance education and illness management.