Patient Preference and Adherence (Mar 2021)
Strategies for Improving Inhalation Technique in Children: A Narrative Review
Abstract
Anna Volerman,1 Kristin Kan,2,3 Delesha Carpenter,4 Valerie G Press1 1University of Chicago, Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics, Chicago, IL, USA; 2Division of Advanced General Pediatrics and Primary Care, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA; 3Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Advanced General Pediatrics Division, Department of Pediatrics, Chicago, IL, USA; 4University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, Chapel Hill, NC, USACorrespondence: Valerie G PressUniversity of Chicago, 5841 S Maryland, MC 2007, Chicago, IL, 60637, USATel +1 773-702-5170Fax +1 773-834-2288Email [email protected]: Inhaled medicines are commonly utilized by children for various respiratory conditions and must be used effectively for the medication to reach the airways. Poor inhaler technique contributes to poorly controlled asthma with significant associated morbidity. Given the significant consequences of improper inhaler use in children, the goal of this review is to comprehensively describe existing and potential solutions to improve inhaler technique. Because children move through various settings, including clinical practices, schools, pharmacies, and homes, in their daily routine, there is great opportunity to teach and reinforce proper inhaler technique across settings. Within each setting, in-person and technology-based interventions have shown promise to improve technique. These solutions need to be more broadly adopted to deliver tailored education with support for provider training, team-based care, communication structures, and reimbursement. Such solutions hold the potential to improve inhaler use among children, with potential for decreasing morbidity and costs.Keywords: asthma, devices, inhalers, pediatric
