Evaluation of a novel educational strategy, including inhaler-based reminder labels, to improve asthma inhaler technique.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of a brief intervention about inhaler technique, delivered by community pharmacists to asthma patients.


METHODS
Thirty-one pharmacists received brief workshop education (Active: n=16, CONTROL: n=15). Active Group pharmacists were trained to assess and teach dry powder inhaler technique, using patient-centered educational tools including novel Inhaler Technique Labels. Interventions were delivered to patients at four visits over 6 months.


RESULTS
At baseline, patients (Active: 53, CONTROL: 44) demonstrated poor inhaler technique (mean+/-S.D. score out of 9, 5.7+/-1.6). At 6 months, improvement in inhaler technique score was significantly greater in Active cf. CONTROL patients (2.8+/-1.6 cf. 0.9+/-1.4, p<0.001), and asthma severity was significantly improved (p=0.015). Qualitative responses from patients and pharmacists indicated a high level of satisfaction with the intervention and educational tools, both for their effectiveness and for their impact on the patient-pharmacist relationship.


CONCLUSIONS
A simple feasible intervention in community pharmacies, incorporating daily reminders via Inhaler Technique Labels on inhalers, can lead to improvement in inhaler technique and asthma outcomes.


CONCLUSIONS
Brief training modules and simple educational tools, such as Inhaler Technique Labels, can provide a low-cost and sustainable way of changing patient behavior in asthma, using community pharmacists as educators.
Basheti
Iman A
IA
Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Sydney, Australia.
Armour
Carol L
CL
Bosnic-Anticevich
Sinthia Z
SZ
Reddel
Helen K
HK
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001294:Attitude to Health; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004348:Drug Labeling / Q000379:methods*; D004513:Education, Pharmacy, Continuing; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006801:Humans; D009330:Nebulizers and Vaporizers; D009517:New South Wales; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D010594:Pharmacies; D036301:Qualitative Research; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D017010:Reminder Systems; D012646:Self Administration; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents