Improvements on the Inhaler

Background: Inhalers are a commonplace in American health care and deliver crucial drugs to patients with COPD and asthma. Inhaler use has been shown to be unsatisfactory among patients resulting in ineffective medication delivery. The goal of this project was to improve the inhaler design for increased effectiveness and ease of use. Methods: Our team first interviewed a Pulmonologist regarding patient inhaler use. Dr. Harry Kane demonstrated the proper use of an inhaler as well and described errors in inhaler use are due to patient technique. A variety of inhalers currently available were examined and were compared for ease of use. Results: Interview with attending physician revealed numerous patient errors that impede effectiveness of inhaled medication. Two common mistakes were identified: patients inhaling too rapidly and patients dispensing the medication too late. Inhaling too rapidly decreases the fraction of drug that reaches the lungs, decreasing effectiveness. Dispensing the medication after a patient reaches total lung capacity (TLC) prevents the drug from reaching their lungs, decreasing effectiveness. Conclusions: We conclude that inhalers could be used more effectively by addressing patient education and feedback mechanisms. Possible solutions discuss audible feedback to help coordinate patient breath with optimal dispersal timing. Future work includes prototyping a design and eliciting patient feedback

Improving the Inhaler

Background: Inhalers used to dispense various pharmacological agents play an important role in the care of patients with pulmonary disease. These pharmacological agents can be very effective, however, many patients that use inhalers often deliver these drugs incorrectly or in a sub-optimal manner. Our project aims to improve the design of the inhaler in order to increase the effectiveness of drug delivery and also ease of patient use. Methods: We interviewed a critical care pulmonologist regarding patient inhaler use and compliance. This physician offered information about proper inhaler use and described common errors that patients encounter when attempting to dispense drugs via inhalers. Both steroidal and albuterol inhalers that are currently being prescribed were allocated for our examination and use to help develop a more user friendly model. Results: The pulmonologist illustrated several errors that patients will commonly make which can degrade the efficacy of the inhaled drug delivery. One frequently encountered error was that drug is dispensed by the patient once they had already reached their total lung capacity, or inhaled fully. This sort of error leads to the drug being dispensed into the throat and failure to reach the intended target, the lungs. Additionally, the physician noted that patients often forget to administer their inhaled drugs because the inhaler does not fit comfortably into the patient’s pocket and so it is not optimally portable. Conclusion: Our research suggests that inhaler design could be improved in order to increase the effectiveness of drug delivery and patient compliance. We are considering incorporating audible actuation clues that will alert the patient when to dispense the drug, and also provide electronic feedback to the patient’s mobile device. This would help educate the patient on how to coordinate their breathing with actuation of the device to dispense the medication

Mental Health and Wellbeing of First Year Jefferson University Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Photo-Elicitation Study

Research Question How do first year Thomas Jefferson University students perceive their mental health and wellbeing in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic