Automatic Audio-Based Classification of Patient Inhaler Use: A Pharmacy Based Study.

Chronic respiratory diseases may be controlled through the delivery of medication to the airways and lungs using an inhaler. However, adherence to correct inhaler technique is poor, which impedes patients from receiving maximum clinical benefit from their medication. In this study, the Inhaler Compliance Assessment device was employed to record audio of patients using a Diskus dry powder inhaler.

A Method to Calculate Adherence to Inhaled Therapy that Reflects the Changes in Clinical Features of Asthma.

Rationale: Currently, studies on adherence to inhaled medications report average adherence over time. This measure does not account for variations in the interval between doses, nor for errors in inhaler use.

Objectives: To investigate whether adherence calculated as a single area under the (concentration-time) curve (AUC) measure, incorporating the interval between doses and inhaler technique, was more reflective of patient outcomes than were current methods of assessing adherence.

The effect of providing feedback on inhaler technique and adherence from an electronic audio recording device, INCA®, in a community pharmacy setting: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Poor adherence to inhaled medication may lead to inadequate symptom control in patients with respiratory disease. In practice it can be difficult to identify poor adherence. We designed an acoustic recording device, the INCA® (INhaler Compliance Assessment) device, which, when attached to an inhaler, identifies and records the time and technique of inhaler use, thereby providing objective longitudinal data on an individual's adherence to inhaled medication.