Purpose: This study aimed to develop a motivational interviewing pulmonary rehabilitation program based on self-determination theory to
maintain pulmonary rehabilitation-related health behaviors in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The program was developed
by reviewing the literature on pulmonary rehabilitation guidelines, drawing on the self-determinism theory to establish its contents,
recruiting experts to test its validity, and conducting a preliminary survey. Methods: A quasi-experimental design was used to confirm the
effect of the program. The participants were outpatients diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at three general hospitals
in Busan. There were 33 subjects: 15 in the experimental group and 18 in the control group. The experimental group performed a motivational
interviewing pulmonary rehabilitation program which comprised 11 sessions delivered over 10 weeks. The outcomes were measured
using basic psychological needs, dyspnea, 6-minute walking distance, and functional status. Intervention effects were analyzed using repeated-
measures ANOVA. Results: The analysis revealed significant differences between the experimental and control groups in competence
among the subdomains of basic psychological needs, dyspnea during exercise, and functional status. Conclusion: The developed
program affects physical conditions and can be applied as an effective clinical nursing intervention to continuously improve the pulmonary
rehabilitation behavior of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.