The Impact of Health Literacy Level on Inhaler Technique in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Inhaled medications are recommended as first-line treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and can reduce exacerbations and hospitalizations. Low health literacy is associated with poor inhaler technique.

This study examined whether handouts written specifically for patients with low health literacy are more effective in showing patients how to use their medications when compared to standard education materials.

A prospective, experimental study was performed at a community-based hospital. Patients included in the study were admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of COPD, taking at least 1 inhaled medication and identified as having low health literacy based on a Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine-Short Form. Low health literacy handouts were compared against the standard hospital educational materials for inhalers. Correct technique during each demonstration was evaluated using a standardized checklist.

Mean baseline scores for inhaler technique were 12.2 ± 2.2 steps correct for the control group and 13.4 ± 1.3 for the low health-literacy group of the 18 maximum points ( P = nonsignificant). The mean change in inhaler technique score for the control group was 1.0 ± 1.8, while the mean change in inhaler technique score for the low health-literacy group was 2.1 ± 2.7 ( P = .03).