Which Patients Struggle the Most With Inhaler Use?

Inhaler usage errors are most common among patients aged older than 60 years who have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a new study.

“Inhalation therapy is the backbone of asthma and COPD control. However, inhaler adherence and device mishandling continue to be a problem in real life,” the researchers wrote.

To conduct their prospective study, the researchers assessed the preferences for commonly used inhalers among 105 patients with asthma or COPD living in Germany.

Participants completed questionnaire checklists about inhaler technique and errors for 10 different placebo devices.

“For each device, patients were asked to test the handling, to assess the device properties, and to name the device that they would most or least prefer,” the researchers wrote.

After analyzing the participants’ responses, the researchers found that participants needed an average 1.22 attempts to achieve error-free use.

Participants who were older than 60 years of age and those with COPD required more attempts to achieve error-free use, compared with younger participants and those with asthma.

Of the 105 participants, 41% preferred one of the devices they already used. Easy handling, short inhalation time, and low inhalation resistance were the most important inhaler attributes cited by participants.

“Particular attention should be paid to choosing the appropriate inhaler device for asthma and COPD patients, respectively,” the researchers concluded. “… The choice of the most suitable inhaler is a complex decision taken between doctor and patient.”

—Amanda Balbi

Reference:

Schreiber J, Sonnenburg T, Luecke E. Inhaler devices in asthma and COPD patients – a prospective cross-sectional study on inhaler preferences and error rates. BMC Pulm Med. 2020;20(1):222. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12890-020-01246-z