Development of a shared decision-making tool to support patients and their healthcare provider in choosing the best inhaler device

Background: Successful inhaled therapy is hardly achieved in daily practise due to frequent incorrect inhaler use and inadequate adherence. Shared decision making(SDM) by patient and healthcare provider might enhance adherence and self-efficacy in patients. Aim: To develop an online tool that can be used to support the choice of an inhaler that matches patients’ needs and preferences Method: 452 asthma/COPD patients completed a questionnaire (64% female, 74% between 50 and 75 years) with questions about “inhaler satisfaction” and “inhaler preferences” to detect relevant inhaler characteristics. These characteristics were used to develop the online SDM tool. According to the questionnaire we developed an balanced overview of (dis)advantages for each inhaler group. The tool was developed in Qualtrics. Results: Patients considered “dose counter,” “feedback mechanism,” “environmental friendly,” “ Conclusion: It was possible to create an easy to use, online SDM tool. Our tool can empower patients in choosing their inhaler. The efficacy of this tool needs to be evaluated in clinical practice.