Optimize the inhaler technique in COPD Patients
Administering drugs in COPD patients directly to the lungs minimizes the amount going to the rest of the body, thus reducing the risk of systemic side-effects. However, the route the airborne particles (or aerosol) have to take in order to get to the target areas of the lungs. Firstly, the aerosol must travel horizontally across the mouth, and then change direction to head vertically down the trachea; then it must manoeuvre through the multitude of bends and bifurcations that occur en route to the small air passages deeper in the lung.
Understanding the different ways in which each device creates an aerosol can be helpful – patients with more severe pulmonary disease, and those experiencing exacerbations in COPD, may not have sufficient inspiratory capacity to use the dry powder devices.
Substantial deficiencies in inhaler device technique and medication adherence are evident in patients with COPD, leading to suboptimal health outcomes. As the prevalence of COPD rises with age, elderly patients pose special challenges with regard to inhaler device selection. In elderly patients with sufficient cognitive function, manual dexterity, and hand strength, the most influential factors in inhaler selection are cost reimbursement, device availability, device convenience, and patient preference.
The Aerosol Drug Management Improvement Team report found a clear need for specific training of patients in correct inhalation technique for the various devices currently available, and this should be repeated frequently to maintain correct inhalation technique
Learning the good inhaler technique is important and we need such better educational tools that provide visual demonstrations step by step on how to use inhaler devices.
Use-inhalers.com is a one stop website that provides audio-visual online inhaler training to patients and health care professionals for the entire inhalers devices in multiple languages on web and on mobile devices for better understanding and retention of the information
Source: www.nhlbi.nih.gov