Patients’ perspectives showed that point-of-care diagnostics and treatment of acute COPD in exacerbation was considered a qualitative offer by the patients and their relatives. At the same time, it was crucial that the emergency medical technicians showed experience and safety in handling shortness of breath as well as the technical equipment.

The interviews revealed that in order to ensure an experience of quality in the assessment and treatment of patients in their own homes, it was important that the ambulance staff showed great safety and experience in the use of the technical equipment and treatment of dyspnea.

It was also of importance that the patients felt confident that their general practitioner followed up on the home treatment initiated.

This was a qualitative study comprising semi-structured interviews with 16 patients carried out from April 1st, 2019 to March 31st, 2020 in Denmark.

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