Phone-Based Teach-To-Goal Inhaler Education Program for Medicare Advantage Beneficiaries With COPD

Background: Individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) rely on inhaler-based medications to treat and control symptoms. Most patients do not use correct technique. Teach-to-goal (TTG) inhaler education programs have been found to improve inhaler technique. There is limited understanding as to whether TTG inhaler education is effective when delivered over the phone. Ojjective: We aimed to find out the effect of a phone-based TTG inhaler technique education program among Medicare Advantage beneficiaries with COPD. Study Design and Methods: Beneficiaries with a diagnosis of COPD within the prior 2 years, who had filled at least one maintenance inhaler prescription at least once in the prior year, had a value-based insurance design plan, and received the inhaler education component of the COPD intervention program were evaluated. Inhaler technique was measured by validated checklists, and patients self-reported their technique. Results: Of 1876 patients analyzed, n=13 used more than one inhaler. At the initial assessment, 39.4% of participants were using their inhalers incorrectly. By the end of the first education session, the percentage of participants who were using their inhaler incorrectly decreased to 6.9%. Interpretation: A phone-based TTG inhaler education program offered by a large national health plan demonstrated improvements in inhaler technique across different inhaler devices and subpopulations. The multiple-session approach was likely critical for longer-term retention of correct technique, though further study is needed to confirm this. Some subgroup populations are also at greater risk for baseline inhaler misuse and/or post-training inhaler misuse indicating a need for further evaluation of how to tailor inhaler education by individuals’ needs.