None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Many patients with lung disease who use inhalers (puffers) are unable to generate enough strength when breathing in through their puffers. Often, they breathe too hard with some puffers. This breathing strength is generally known as the Inspiratory Flow Rate (IFR). Inappropriate IFR leads to sub-optimal use of puffers, compromising the effectiveness of patients' treatment. This study aims to know how common this problem is and to test the idea that training patients to achieve appropriate IFR leads to better outcomes. These outcomes include improved breathing, better quality of life, and reduced emergency department visits, as well as shorter hospital stays.
Interventions
Training patients to achieve an appropriate Inspiratory Flow Rate (IFR) for the Inhaler Device they use. Verbal training is provided by a pharmacist while utilising an inspiratory flow meter, and is followed up by individualised written instructions on how to achieve the appropriate IFR range for each of the inhalers a patient is using. Verbal training would take between 5-10 minutes until the patient achieves appropriate IFR or the pharmacist determines that the patient is unable to achieve suc
Training patients to achieve an appropriate Inspiratory Flow Rate (IFR) for the Inhaler Device they use. Verbal training is provided by a pharmacist while utilising an inspiratory flow meter, and is followed up by individualised written instructions on how to achieve the appropriate IFR range for each of the inhalers a patient is using. Verbal training would take between 5-10 minutes until the patient achieves appropriate IFR or the pharmacist determines that the patient is unable to achieve such IFR. Written instructions should be provided 1-2 days after verbal training is offered. All training is offered only once to participants.
Sponsors
Kyrillos Guirguis
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Prevention
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
St Vincent’s Health patients older than 18 years of age with any respiratory disease, who use respiratory inhalers for the administration of their medications.
Exclusion criteria
* Patients with active respiratory infection, as indicated by current treatment with short term antibiotic therapy. Long term prophylactic antibiotic therapy is not an exclusion criterion. * Patients on current short term oral corticosteroids.
Outcome results
None listed