The development process for a new spacer device

The British Thoracic Society and Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network recommend that children up to the age of five should use a pressurised metered dose inhaler with a spacer device to deliver inhaled steroids. However, large-volume spacers can be cumbersome, which is why I designed a smaller, more portable device to encourage spacer use. After prototypes were made, the idea was presented to the local NHS innovations department. With its advice and assistance, a collapsible spacer device has been developed. This article describes the product development process.