Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27616891›Full record

ArticleJournal of asthma and allergy2016

Historical cohort study examining comparative effectiveness of albuterol inhalers with and without integrated dose counter for patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

David B Price, Anna Rigazio, Mary Buatti Small, Thomas J Ferro

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of asthma and allergy, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
6.8field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 67 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Sustainability in Inhaled Drug Delivery.Pharmaceutical medicine · 2020
    Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

David B PriceAcademic Primary Care, Institute of Applied Health Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK; Research in Real-Life Ltd, Cambridge, UK.
Anna RigazioResearch in Real-Life Ltd, Cambridge, UK.
Mary Buatti SmallTeva Pharmaceuticals, Frazer, PA, USA.
Thomas J FerroTeva Pharmaceuticals, Frazer, PA, USA.
Teva Pharmaceuticals (United States) · USUniversity of Aberdeen · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundUsing a metered-dose inhaler (MDI) beyond the labeled number of actuations may result in inadequate dosing of medication, which can lead to poor clinical outcomes. This study compared respiratory-related emergency department (ED) visit rates in patients with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or both when they used albuterol MDIs with versus without dose counters.

methodsThis retrospective study used US claims data to identify patients (ages 4-64 years) with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or both, using albuterol MDIs with or without an integrated dose counter. The study comprised a 1-year baseline period for patient characterization and confounder definition and a 1-year outcome period following the first albuterol prescription. The primary end point was the incidence rate of respiratory-related ED visits, compared using a reduced zero-inflated Poisson regression model. We also compared severe exacerbation rates and rescue medication use.

resultsA total of 93,980 patients were studied, including 67,251 (72%) in the dose counter cohort and 26,729 (28%) in the non-dose-counter cohort. The cohorts were broadly similar at baseline (55,069 [59%] female patients; median age, 37 years). The incidence rate of respiratory-related ED visits during the outcome year was 45% lower in the dose counter cohort than in the non-dose-counter cohort (adjusted rate ratio: 0.55; 95% confidence interval: 0.47-0.64). Exacerbation rates and short-acting β-agonist use were similar between cohorts.

conclusionThese findings suggest that dose counter integration into albuterol MDIs is associated with decreased ED visit rates. The presence of integrated dose counters on rescue inhalers can help patients avoid using an empty or near-empty inhaler during exacerbations, thereby ensuring available medication for relief of their symptoms. Integrated dose counters on rescue MDIs could represent a simple and effective tool to improve clinical outcomes during exacerbations, with a potential for cost savings to health care systems.

Indexed as

albuterolasthmachronic obstructive pulmonary diseasedose countereffectivenessinhaler

Identifiers

PMID27616891
PMCPMC5008637
OpenAlexW2516776672

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.