Assessing adherence to inhaled therapies in asthma and the emergence of electronic monitoring devices

TY - JOUR

T1 - Assessing adherence to inhaled therapies in asthma and the emergence of electronic monitoring devices

AU - Dhruve, Hetal

AU - Jackson, David J.

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The authors 2022.

PY - 2022/6/30

Y1 - 2022/6/30

N2 - Infrequent use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and/or over-reliance of short-acting β-agonists (SABA) are recognised as key contributors to increased morbidity and mortality in asthma. The most frequent measures of ICS adherence and SABA use rely on patient-reported questionnaires or prescription refill records, neither of which are considered sufficiently reliable. Technological advancements in the development of electronic monitoring of inhaler devices allow for monitoring of use, as well as recording of and feedback on inhaler technique for some devices. Most electronic monitoring devices (EMDs) are paired with a smartphone application, allowing patients to set reminders and display both preventer and reliever use over time. This allows identification of intentional and unintentional ICS non-adherence as well as frequency of SABA use. This information assists clinicians in distinguishing difficult-to-control from severe asthma. Although additional evidence is required to assess the impact of EMDs on clinical outcome measures such as exacerbation rate, the introduction of EMDs into the asthma armoury is a significant step forward in asthma care with the potential to improve asthma-related outcomes.

AB - Infrequent use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and/or over-reliance of short-acting β-agonists (SABA) are recognised as key contributors to increased morbidity and mortality in asthma. The most frequent measures of ICS adherence and SABA use rely on patient-reported questionnaires or prescription refill records, neither of which are considered sufficiently reliable. Technological advancements in the development of electronic monitoring of inhaler devices allow for monitoring of use, as well as recording of and feedback on inhaler technique for some devices. Most electronic monitoring devices (EMDs) are paired with a smartphone application, allowing patients to set reminders and display both preventer and reliever use over time. This allows identification of intentional and unintentional ICS non-adherence as well as frequency of SABA use. This information assists clinicians in distinguishing difficult-to-control from severe asthma. Although additional evidence is required to assess the impact of EMDs on clinical outcome measures such as exacerbation rate, the introduction of EMDs into the asthma armoury is a significant step forward in asthma care with the potential to improve asthma-related outcomes.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85131107078&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1183/16000617.0271-2021

DO - 10.1183/16000617.0271-2021

M3 - Short survey

C2 - 35613744

AN - SCOPUS:85131107078

SN - 0905-9180

VL - 31

JO - European Respiratory Review

JF - European Respiratory Review

IS - 164

M1 - 210271

ER -