Management of COPD in community pharmacy

BACKGROUND: This observational study aimed to provide a detailed description of (i) drug therapy, (ii) drug adherence, (iii) inhalation technique, and (iv) health status of COPD patients recruited via community pharmacies. Based on these results, problem areas can be detected and targeted pharmacist interventions for improvement of COPD management could be developed. METHOD: We conducted a cross-sectional, observational study in 93 pharmacies (Belgium). Participants (n = 555) completed a questionnaire collecting personal characteristics, smoking history, influenza vaccination, COPD medication and side effects. Adherence to COPD maintenance medication was analysed 1 year-retrospectively through prescription refill rates. Inhalation technique was scored using a checklist. RESULTS: The COPD patients had a mean age of 68.6 yr, 73.7% were men and 37.2% were current smokers. The influenza vaccination status was significantly lower in patients aged or = 65 years (86.2%) (p 120% adherence). Twenty-one % of patients made major inhalation technique errors with rescue medication; these were all errors in handling pressurized metered dose inhalers (pMDI's). CONCLUSION: This study on COPD management in primary care highlights 4 main aspects which could be improved: (i) drug adherence, (ii) inhalation technique with pMDI's, (iii) influenza vaccination in COPD patients < yr and (iv) smoking cessation.