Evaluation of a structured pharmacist-led inhalation technique assessment service for patients with asthma and COPD in Norwegian pharmacies.

Objective: To investigate whether the inhalation technique improved among patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease after an Inhalation Technique Assessment Service (ITAS), and to assess the patients' and pharmacists' perceptions of ITAS.

Methods: This uncontrolled, pre-post study included 405 patients recruited from 42 Norwegian pharmacies. Inhalation technique was assessed by trained pharmacists before ITAS (baseline), directly after (follow-up 1) and three months after ITAS (follow-up 2), and analyzed statistically using SPSS.