A Home Education Technique for Inhaler Devices Used by Patients with Obstructive Lung Disease

Objective: Feedback from multiple international centers has revealed inhaler device handling errors in obstructive lung disease patients over several years. This study evaluates the effectiveness of an easy-to-apply and continuous inhaler device education method that may be implemented in a hospital setting and continued at home. Materials and Methods: A total of 60 patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) who had >2/10 critical errors in using their inhaler devices were included in the study. They received training on how to use their inhalers, and were then divided into two equal groups. Group 1 consisted of control patients who did not receive any additional education. Group 2 patients had the steps for inhaler administration recorded as voice commands on their mobile phones, and also received reminders for medication administration time. All patients were followed for six months to evaluate the outcome of the training. Results: Among the patients, 86.7% were unaware that they were misusing their inhaler devices. In Group 1, the success rate was 56.7% after the first education session in the clinic. However, after six months, none of the patients in Group were successful. On the other hand, in Group 2, the success rate was 46.7% at the end of the first education session, and this was maintained at the sixth-month follow-up. Conclusion: Patients may not be aware of their mistakes in handling inhaler devices, and may forget the correct steps over time. This study supports the use of phone applications for providing continuous education, which may help to increase the success of inhaler treatment. Such applications could be adapted for use in clinical settings.