Inhaler Trainer Efficacy Study
Inhaler Trainer Efficacy Study: Interactive Training Tool Providing Technique Feedback for COPD/Asthma Medication Delivery
About This Trial
This will be a randomized, controlled, clinical trial. The investigators aim to determine the feasibility of and efficacy of the Inhaler Trainer Device for ongoing inhaler skill training. The research team will enroll 140 patients from the inpatient or outpatient setting from the University of Chicago Medicine over the course of up to 12 months. Participants will complete assessments, a lung function test via spirometry, and inhaler education via either the Inhaler Trainer Device learning program or Brief Intervention. All participants will return at 6 weeks (window of +/- one week) post-initial inhaler education for an in-person evaluation of their inhaler skills, lung function, and acute care utilization. Finally, a post-study semi-structured interview will be conducted to gather feedback on the device after the 6-week visit has been completed.
Who May Be Eligible (Plain English)
Original Eligibility Criteria
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Treatments Being Tested
Inhaler Trainer System
The system consists of an instrumented training inhaler capable of accurately measuring the real-time inspiratory airflow achieved by the user when they perform their inhale maneuver. The inhaler trainer system consists of a detachable/disposable mouthpiece and a reusable electronics module. The electronics module measures flow/pressure achieved by the patient and wirelessly transmits this data to a PC. The PC software analyzes the real-time inhalation flow data to enable the monitoring of the following quantities: Flow Rate, Duration, and Maximum Pressure Slope. These quantities will be used in the computation of the assessment metric, providing the user with real-time feedback about their inhalation technique. In addition, the software includes features to support the human study and provides fully functional inhaler education features for the expert test evaluators.
Initial Inhaler Use Assessment
Patients will undergo an initial assessment of their respiratory inhaler technique for their respiratory inhaler devices using device-specific checklists
Inhaler Use Instruction
Participants will then be given step-by-step verbal instructions and a copy of written instructions by the trained educator describing appropriate inhaler technique for their respiratory inhalers.