Abstract
Several studies have defined the attributes of an 'ideal' inhaler, which include ease of use and patient (pt) acceptability. A secondary endpoint of a 76-centre global (US, EU and SE Asia) RCT aimed to evaluate the subjects' operation and handling of Forspiro®, an innovative dry powder inhaler. The study involved 373 pts with mild to moderate asthma who had previously used a range of other inhalers. Attributes were assessed via a 10-component questionnaire.
Ease of use, pre-dose preparation, cleaning, visibility of remaining doses, comfort and convenience were all considered important or very important attributes by >80% pts. Fishbein multi-attribute analysis showed a high degree of correlation between the attributes of an ideal inhaler and pts' belief of how these apply to Forspiro®. The majority of pts agreed or strongly agreed that overall, Forspiro® is easy to use (98.8%), easy to open and get ready (98.2%), easy to clean (97.3%), comfortable to hold (97.3%), and convenient to carry around (94.7%) (Fig). Over 90% of pts agreed or strongly agreed that they would be satisfied if their current inhaler were replaced with Forspiro®.
The Forspiro® device was well received and a high proportion of pts would be satisfied if it replaced their current inhaler. The majority of pts stated that Forspiro® possesses many attributes that correlate with those of an ideal inhaler.
- © 2014 ERS