Counseling Method Reduces Inhaler Errors in Children With Asthma

Children with asthma who received a combination of traditional verbal and advanced counseling methods for inhaler usage showed a significant reduction in their inhalation technique errors, according to a recent study.

Sara Tony, of the Beni-Suef Specialized Hospital in Egypt, and colleagues conducted the study and published their findings in Experimental Lung Research.

The researchers compared traditional verbal counseling on inhaler usage with advanced counseling on inhaler usage, in which an acoustic Flo-Tone training device and its accompanying smartphone application were combined with traditional verbal counseling methods in children with asthma.

The study included 100 children with asthma, ranging in age from 8 to 18 years old, who used metered-dose inhalers with spacers concerning inhalation duration and inhalation technique mistakes. The patients were randomized into 2 groups, with 50 patients receiving traditional verbal counseling and 50 patients receiving advanced counseling. Each patient received 3 counseling meetings, once each month for 3 months. At each session, the inhalation duration was measured and mistakes in inhalation technique were detected, corrected, and recorded.

The total mean number of inhalation technique mistakes declined significantly in both groups after the second visit (P<.05). The total mean inhalation duration also increased significantly in both groups after the second visit (P<.05). However, the reduction in the total number of mistakes (P<.05) and the increase in inhalation duration (P<.05) were both significantly higher after the second visit in the group that received the advanced counseling method.

“Combination between traditional verbal and advanced counseling methods resulted in significant improvements in the number of inhalation technique mistakes and inhalation durations from [metered-dose inhaler] with spacer in children compared to using traditional verbal counseling alone,” the researchers concluded.

Tony SM, Abdelrahman MA, Abd Elsalam M, Sameer Shafik M, Abdelrahim MEA. Effect of using acoustic flo-tone training device and its smartphone application on enhancing inhalation technique from metered-dose inhaler with spacer in asthmatic children. Exp Lung Res. 2022;48(7-8):224-238. doi:10.1080/01902148.2022.2113573