{
  "abstract": "Background Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic progressive lung disease that profoundly impacts patients’ daily lives. While pharmacological therapies continue to advance, less is known about how patients experience the burden of disease across different periods after IPF diagnosis, resulting in a lack of evidence for the development and optimisation of patient-centred intervention strategies. Therefore, this study aimed to explore how individuals with IPF experience the disease and its impact on daily life in China.Methods This multicentre qualitative study was conducted using semistructured interviews with participants from six geographic regions in China between November 2024 and March 2025. Participants were grouped by time since diagnosis to reflect different periods following diagnosis. Data were collected and analysed inductively and iteratively by using practical thematic analysis until thematic saturation was achieved.Results 53 participants were interviewed to explore the patient experience at different periods following IPF diagnosis. Thematic analysis identified that participants commonly reported the influence of IPF on quality of life, including (1) symptom experience, (2) sleep, (3) eating habits, (4) physical activity, (5) social participation, (6) psychological well-being and (7) financial status. Cough and breathlessness were consistently reported as the most troubling symptoms, often accompanied by psychological challenges related to diagnosis and disease progression.Conclusions The findings highlight the experience and need for patient-centred care across China that addresses not only clinical symptoms but also emotional and social dimensions of living with IPF. Enhancing public awareness may also help reduce stigma and social isolation.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, Beijing, China",
        "Research Center of Clinical Epidemiology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, Beijing, China"
      ],
      "name": "Bixuan Yan"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "School of Nursing, Peking University, Beijing, Beijing, China"
      ],
      "name": "Ning Liu"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "School of Nursing, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China"
      ],
      "name": "Yunxian Zhou"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of General Internal Medicine, West China Second UniversityHospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China",
        "Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, Chengdu, China"
      ],
      "name": "Xiang Fang"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Clinical Research Institute, Shenzhen Peking University–The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Medical Center, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China"
      ],
      "name": "Yue Zhang"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of General Practice, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China"
      ],
      "name": "Bo Yuan"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Clinical Research Institute, Shenzhen Peking University–The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Medical Center, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China"
      ],
      "name": "Ping Ji"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital Capital Medical University, Beijing, Beijing, China"
      ],
      "name": "Xi Zhan"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, Beijing, China"
      ],
      "name": "Yanling Ding"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Pharmacy, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, Beijing, China"
      ],
      "name": "Xiaohan Xu"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Computer Science and Technology, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China"
      ],
      "name": "Xiaoxi Lu"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, England, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Xinchun Gu"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, England, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Vanashree Sexton"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Beijing Aerospace General Hospital, Beijing, Beijing, China"
      ],
      "name": "Fengwei Li"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, Beijing, China",
        "Research Center of Clinical Epidemiology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, Beijing, China",
        "Key Laboratory of Epidemiology of Major Diseases (Peking University), Ministry of Education, Beijing, China"
      ],
      "name": "Siyan Zhan"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, Beijing, China"
      ],
      "name": "Ying Ji"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Research Center of Clinical Epidemiology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, Beijing, China",
        "Key Laboratory of Epidemiology of Major Diseases (Peking University), Ministry of Education, Beijing, China"
      ],
      "name": "Hongling Chu"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Patient experiences of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in China: a multicentre qualitative study",
  "uid": "dfe35a75-4cfe-5811-b783-7fa12d5bf88a"
}