Valley Regional Hospital Pulmonologist Donald A. Mahler, M.D., a professor of medicine at Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, is lead author on a widely reported study that found that patient factors are linked to proper inhaler technique.
The findings show that cognitive function, manual dexterity, and breathing ability all play an important role in helping people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) use their inhalers correctly. They also suggest that misuse of inhalers can lead to inadequate medication delivery and an increase in COPD symptoms.
The analysis, published in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society, included 503 stable outpatients with COPD.
Prior to the study, data on how patient factors affect inhaler technique with different device types was limited, according to Mahler et al.
“Proper inhaler technique remains one of the most important and modifiable factors in COPD treatment,” said Mahler in a press release from COPD Foundation. “Our findings reinforce that selecting the right inhaled medication delivery system requires more than understanding a person’s lung function alone. Health care providers should consider cognitive function, manual dexterity, and inhalation ability when choosing and reviewing inhaled therapies to ensure people receive the greatest possible benefit from their prescribed treatments.”
