Earlier studies have shown that inhalers are often misused by patients with COPD. Recent research published in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: The Journal of the COPD Foundation, found that hospital pharmacists could play a key role in patients getting the education they need to properly use their inhalers.
The study, “Inhalation Innovation: Optimizing COPD Care Through Clinical Pharmacist Integration in a Rehabilitation Hospital’s Multidisciplinary Team – A Quality Improvement Study,” was conducted by researchers at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium.
Lead author Annelies Walravens, PhD, faculty of medicine and pharmacy at Vrije Universiteit, said in a news release the study demonstrated that the results are feasible in clinical practice and widely supported by health care professionals.
“Most studies start from a hypothesis, but our idea came directly from practice,” she said. “We saw that COPD patients often struggle with using their inhalers correctly. Our study showed that intensive, step-by-step guidance by a pharmacist can truly make a difference.”
The study builds on earlier research from the PHARMACOP trial that examined the impact of pharmaceutical counseling in community pharmacies, adapting that model in a hospital setting — specifically, the Queen Elisabeth Institute in Belgium, which specializes in pulmonary care. The researchers followed up with patients six times, spread over their hospital stay, and the weeks following discharge.
The researchers wrote: “The patients’ inhalation technique improved significantly during the stay in the rehabilitation hospital and after multiple visits involving educational moments, which highlights an important potential role for the clinical pharmacist in the care of these patients.”
