The impact of pharmacist engagement on satisfaction with inhalers among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a prospective interventional study.

Abstract

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), predicted to become the third leading cause of death by 2030 with 3 million annual fatalities, imposes significant health and economic burdens due to its diverse respiratory conditions. Effective management strategies include symptom relief, disease progression control, and exacerbation prevention through interventions like smoking cessation, medication, rehabilitation, and vaccination, with inhalation therapy (pressurized metered-dose inhalers, dry powder inhalers, and nebulizers) playing a pivotal role, yet challenges in proper inhaler use persist, impacting disease control and healthcare utilization, necessitating improved patient education, inhaler designs, and healthcare system support. The objective of this study was to examine the inhaler proficiency of COPD patients and evaluate their health status, along with their satisfaction regarding inhaler usage. COPD patients were enrolled, with their demographics recorded before evaluating inhaler skills through teach-back; health status was assessed using the COPD Assessment Test (CAT) and satisfaction with inhaler use with the Feeling of Satisfaction with Inhalers Questionnaire (FSI-10), followed by pharmacist-led education and leaflet distribution, with 6-week and 3-month follow-ups for monitoring and support. Pharmacist involvement significantly improved COPD patients' satisfaction with inhalers, shifting from 91.81% to 36.36% reporting high satisfaction and from 8.18% to 63.63% reporting low satisfaction (p<0.001). Additionally, pharmacist intervention reduced the proportion of patients with very high CAT scores (>30) from 6.36% to 4.54% and high CAT scores (>20) from 48.18% to 24.54%, while increasing those with medium CAT scores (10-20) from 28.18% to 54.54% (p<0.001). Our study highlights that educating patients on proper inhaler techniques significantly improves COPD management, reducing exacerbations and hospital readmissions. Despite improvements in symptoms and quality of life (decreased CAT scores), patient satisfaction (FSI-10 scores) increased, suggesting effective intervention outcomes. The findings underscore the importance of enhancing patient education and adherence strategies, especially for those previously unaware of inhaler techniques. This emphasizes the need for comprehensive COPD management strategies addressing symptom relief and patient well-being.