RT Journal Article
T1 Efficacy of an educational intervention in primary health care in inhalation techniques: study protocol for a pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial.
A1 Leiva-Fernandez, Jose
A1 Vazquez-Alarcon, Ruben L
A1 Aguiar-Leiva, Virginia
A1 Lobnig-Becerra, Mireya
A1 Leiva-Fernandez, Francisca
A1 Barnestein-Fonseca, Pilar
K1 COPD
K1 Educational intervention
K1 Inhalation techniques
K1 Primary care professionals
K1 Área de Gestión Sanitaria Este de Málaga-Axarquía
AB Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) accounts for 10-12 % of primary care consultations, 7 % of hospital admissions and 35 % of chronic incapacity related to productivity. The misuse of inhalers is a significant problem in COPD because it is associated with reduced therapeutic drug effects leading to lack of control of both symptoms and disease. Despite all advice, health care professionals' practice management of inhalation treatments is usually deficient. Interventions to improve inhaler technique by health care professionals are limited, especially among primary care professionals, who provide the most care to patients with COPD. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of an educational intervention to train general practitioners (GPs) in the right inhalation technique for the most commonly used inhalers. We are conducting a pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial. The sample population is composed of 267 patients diagnosed with COPD using inhalation therapy selected from among those in 20 general practices, divided into two groups (control and intervention) by block randomisation at 8 primary care centres. The sample has two levels. The first level is patients with COPD who agree to participate in the trial and receive the educational intervention from their GPs. The second level is GPs who are primary health care professionals and receive the educational intervention. The intervention is one session of the educational intervention with a monitor given to GPs for training in the right inhalation technique. The primary outcome is correct inhalation technique in patients. Secondary outcomes are functional status (spirometry) and quality of life. The follow-up period will be 1 year. GPs will have two visits (baseline and at the 1-year follow-up visit. Patients will have four visits (at baseline and 3, 6 and 12 months). Analysis will be done on an intention-to-treat basis. We carried out three previous clinical trials in patients with COPD, which showed the efficacy of an educational intervention based on monitor training to improve the inhalation technique in patients. This intervention is suitable and feasible in the context of clinical practice. Now we are seeking to know if we can improve it when the monitor is the GP (the real care provider in daily practise).
PB BMC
YR 2016
FD 2016-02-26
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10668/9925
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10668/9925
LA en
NO Leiva-Fernández J, Vázquez-Alarcón RL, Aguiar-Leiva V, Lobnig-Becerra M, Leiva-Fernández F, Barnestein-Fonseca P. Efficacy of an educational intervention in primary health care in inhalation techniques: study protocol for a pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial. Trials. 2016 Mar 17;17(1):144
NO This research project has been funded by Consejería de Salud y BienestarSocial, Junta de Andalucía (PI0170/13)
DS RISalud
RD Apr 6, 2025