[Assessment of patient satisfaction and preferences with inhalers in asthma with the FSI-10 Questionnaire].

Background And Objective: Lack of adherence to inhaled corticosteroid therapy is common in patients with asthma, and it has been suggested that allowing patients to choose their own inhalers would resolve this problem. The FSI-10 (Feeling of Satisfaction with Inhaler) is a self-completed questionnaire to assess patient opinions regarding ease or difficulty of use, portability, and usability of devices for delivery of inhaled corticosteroids. The aim of this study was to define the measurement properties of the FSI-10 questionnaire and to use this inventory to compare satisfaction and preferences of patients with asthma regarding 3 different devices for delivery of inhaled corticosteroids: Turbuhaler, Accuhaler, and Novolizer.

Patients And Methods: We performed a multicenter, prospective, observational study in 112 stable asthmatic patients (64 women; mean [SD] age, 37 [22] years) treated on a regular basis with inhaled corticosteroids. The use of the devices was explained to the patients and the order in which they should be used in each case was randomly assigned. The devices were used for 7-day periods and at the end of each the FSI-10 questionnaire was completed for the device used. Once the protocol was completed, patients stated their preference for the different devices used.

Results: The FSI-10 was easily understood and rapidly completed, and it exhibited acceptable measurement properties. Factor analysis showed that the measure was unidimensional. Although acceptance of all 3 devices assessed was reasonable, the FSI-10 questionnaire detected significant differences between them: Turbuhaler and Novolizer scored higher than Accuhaler on a number of questions. This preference is partly explained by Turbuhaler having been the device that was commonly used by the patients prior to the study. However, the highest scoring and most often preferred inhaler in patients under 16 years of age was the Novolizer, even though the Turbuhaler had also usually been used by those patients prior to the study.

Conclusions: The FSI-10 is a useful instrument for assessing the degree of satisfaction of asthmatic patients regarding available inhalation devices. It is easy to understand and complete, and able to identify differences in patient satisfaction with the different inhalers.