To integrate qualitative research on the experience of pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) , to understand the experience of patients with pulmonary rehabilitation and its influencing factors, so as to provide evidence support for pulmonary rehabilitation.

Qualitative research on pulmonary rehabilitation experience of COPD patients was retrieved by computer in 8 databases including the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase, PubMed, CINAHL, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang and VIP. The retrieval time limit was from the establishment of the database to August 20, 2021. The quality of the articles those met the requirements were evaluated by the quality evaluation criteria for qualitative research of the Australian Joanna Briggs Institute Evidence-Based Health Care Center, and the results of each study were further integrated and analyzed.

A total of 12 articles were included, and 47 clear topics were extracted, and similar topics were summarized into 7 new categories. A total of 3 integrated results were synthesized, namely rehabilitation efficacy, pulmonary rehabilitation motivation, and pulmonary rehabilitation obstacles.

COPD patients who can persist in training perceive the benefits of pulmonary rehabilitation, and both the pulmonary rehabilitation environment and interpersonal support are factors that promote their pulmonary rehabilitation. The patients' own condition and transportation and economic difficulties are the main obstacles. Therefore, the patients' physical and economic status should be comprehensively evaluated during pulmonary rehabilitation, and the most suitable pulmonary rehabilitation program should be selected.

Pulmonary disease, chronic obstructive; Pulmonary rehabilitation; Qualitative research; Meta-synthesis