Literature Review: The role of inhaler technique education on symptom control and treatment adherence in asthma patients

Asthma is a chronic airway disease that requires long-term inhaled therapy. Inhaler devices are the primary route of drug delivery in asthma, yet a number of studies have reported that more than 60% of patients fail to use them correctly, a situation associated with reduced pulmonary drug deposition and poor symptom control. This narrative literature review examines findings from published studies on the role of inhaler technique education in symptom control and treatment adherence among asthma patients, drawing on 35 peer-reviewed articles from both international and national journals. Several educational intervention models were studied in the reviewed literature, including pharmacist-led education, the teach-to-goal method, video directly observed therapy (vDOT), one-on-one coaching, repeated instruction sessions, and smart inhaler technology. Improvements in Asthma Control Test (ACT) and Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ) scores following inhaler technique education were reported in a number of studies. Treatment adherence was found to be shaped by multiple factors, including patient knowledge, drug costs, access to healthcare, and personal beliefs about therapy, rather than technical skill alone. Age, cognitive capacity, and device type were also noted to influence educational outcomes. Studies examining digital technology and smart inhalers suggest potential utility in adherence monitoring, although long-term evidence is still limited. Taken together, findings from the reviewed corpus indicate that inhaler technique education may play a role in asthma management, although the size and consistency of its effects varied across studies.