The use of remote video directly observed therapy to improve both inhaler technique and adherence to asthma medications

Incorrect inhaler technique and non-adherence to inhaled preventer therapy often is the cause of poorly controlled asthma. Detecting and correcting non-adherence in asthma therapy has proven difficult. In addition, while patients may be able to demonstrate correct inhaler technique at the clinic recent evidence suggests that critical errors in inhaler technique occur in the home setting. Remote video directly observed therapy (vDOT) has recently been described as a potentially useful tool for addressing non-adherence while also allowing timely correction of inhaler technique errors. In this mini-review we describe the use of vDOT in asthma management.

Automated summary

Incorrect inhaler technique and non-adherence to inhaled preventer therapy often result in poorly controlled asthma. Detecting and correcting non-adherence has been challenging, and recent evidence shows that critical errors in inhaler technique occur at home. Remote video directly observed therapy (vDOT) has emerged as a potentially useful tool for addressing non-adherence and correcting inhaler technique errors in a timely manner.