Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) generates effects on the health of the individual who suffers from it, because it limits their participation in daily activities and negatively affects the quality of physical and social life. Consequently, the role of the nurse and the application of theories loom large in the establishment of an effective interaction with the patient to improve their health. When Imogene King’s theory of goal attainment is applied to the individual with COPD, the patient and the nurse create an interaction based on perceptions, judgments and actions, and these, in turn, generate reactions and produce transactions that allow the individual to achieve the objectives. King includes three dynamic interacting systems: personal, interpersonal and social, which become tools that allow the nursing professional guide an integral assessment and care of patients. Additionally, the proposals from the theory direct the care of patients with COPD, where education is fundamental to the achievement of objectives, since it compensates the knowledge deficit, gets treatment acceptance, improves the patient´s confidence in regards to decision making and management of their disease and facilitates the establishment of objectives and interventions by mutual agreement, that result in positive outcomes for the patient in terms of reduction of symptoms, activity tolerance, improved quality of life, decreased exacerbations and increased physical and social performance.