Two Large Blind Spots in Inhalation Therapy for Asthma and COPD

Abstract

Despite diligent inhalation instructions at various clinical settings, patient adherence to inhaled drugs is generally poor in the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This is because two large gaps still prevail in inhalation therapy that a majority is unaware of. A large gap is in the lack of awareness of how to control the two types of adherence present in inhalation therapy; the other is that the inhalation process based on the patients' interpretation and understanding of verbal instructions, is obscure. This chapter identifies these two blind spots and discusses how they can be addressed.