Abstract
Objectives: Literature has shown a high prevalence of poor inhaler
technique amongst COPD patients throughout the past several decades. We
aim to study the patients’ perspective on the use of inhalers to
understand how inhaler therapy can be better approached. Methods: COPD
patients who were regularly using pressurized metered-dose inhaler(s)
(pMDI) with or without spacers were recruited to complete a survey
regarding their perception of inhaler use. Results: One hundred and one
patients participated in the study. 91 (90.1%) reported that they use
their inhaler correctly and 80 (79.2%) indicated that using their
inhaler is easy. 35 (34.7%) indicated that they prefer to consolidate
all of their inhalers. When asked about previous training, 25 (24.8%)
reported that they have not been shown how to use inhalers before.
Conclusions: Despite high prevalence of poor inhaler technique, COPD
patients may not be aware of their poor technique—patients are
confident in their use of inhalers and find its use easy. This
discrepancy has not been discussed in literature before. Increasing
patient awareness regarding poor inhaler technique and the importance of
correct use of the device may be the key next step to address poor
inhaler technique amongst COPD patients.