Summary
Purpose: The primary aim of this research was to raise awareness for COPD through real narratives of patients, caregivers, and pulmonologists. The second objective includes providing clinicians new means of caring for and treating patients with COPD.
Methods: Using narrative medicine, testimonies from patients, their caregivers, and clini- cians were collected through an online questionnaire enriched by a narrative plot. Narra- tions were analyzed throughout descriptive statistics and an elaboration of recurring words
and expressions.
Results: Throughout the project, 350 narratives were collected from 235 patients, 55 caregiv- ers, and 60 physicians. Though a generally neutral reaction had been observed upon diagnosis, COPD had been found to have a high impact on the patients’ and caregivers’ lives. Metaphors utilized by patients and caregivers were suggestive of fear and panic unlike those utilized by clinicians who usually had a more technical approach. Smoking was a significant concern for not only patients and caregivers but also clinicians.
Conclusion: Physicians are therefore challenged to find new ways of communicating COPD to raise awareness on this pathology and encourage corrective habits. An important social objective should be the implementation of a health system that is able to optimize patients’ and caregivers’ lives.

Relevance
Although COPD can be adequately controlled through therapy, adherence to treatment has been less than 50% in Italy, Europe, and the US with detrimental effects on patients’ quality of life and illness progression.13–15 Progression to severe COPD significantly impacts quality of life consider- ing that patients are no longer able to walk as fast as before, maintain a regular sleep pattern, and carry weight, thereby limiting their activities.16,17 Informal caregivers’ quality of life can also be affected in the form of health, leisure/ social, and professional problems resulting from caregiving activities.