This research of Maria Achterbosch focused on people with chronic lung diseases such as asthma and COPD. These patients are often treated with inhalation medication – commonly known as ‘puffers’. While these medications can be very effective, it has been found that many patients find it difficult to use them correctly, i.e. with adequate medication adherence. That matters, because suboptimal use of medication can make the treatment less effective and result in an increase of healthcare costs for society.
The studies also examined whether medication adherence – consistently using medications in the right way – could be improved through various tools and interventions: shared decision making, a smart digital spacer (a device that helps with proper inhalation) and a toolkit for healthcare providers that helps detect medication nonadherence and find suitable solutions. The results showed that the digital spacer and the toolkit have the potential to help improve medication use. However, shared decision making alone and in current application does not seem to be an effective solution for this.
