Table 2.
Description of the study patients and the relationship between the clinical variables with persistence to inhalers
| Variables | Persistence | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes (46, 40.4%) | No (68, 59.6%) | p value | |
| Visits to GP | 0.040 | ||
| ≤ 6 months | 19 (73.1) | 19 (47.5) | |
| > 6 months | 7 (26.9) | 21 (52.5) | |
| Visits to the Emergency Service in the last 12 months | 0.361 | ||
| No | 36 (78.3) | 48 (70.6) | |
| Yes | 10 (21.7) | 20 (29.4) | |
| COPD | 0.535 | ||
| Mild + moderate | 35 (85.4) | 59 (89.4) | |
| Severe + very severe | 6 (14.6) | 7 (10.6) | |
| Knowledge about COPD severity and chronicity | 0.011 | ||
| No | 18 (39.1) | 43 (63.2) | |
| Yes | 28 (60.9) | 25 (36.8) | |
| To receive explanation about treatment | 0.223 | ||
| No | 27 (58.7) | 32 (47.1) | |
| Yes | 19 (41.3) | 36 (52.9) | |
| Number of inhalers | 0.110 | ||
| 1 | 32 (69.6) | 56 (82.4) | |
| 2/3 | 14 (30.4) | 12 (17.6) | |
| Health related quality of life (mean, sd) | |||
| Symptoms | 35.7 (27.2) | 46.7 (20.4) | 0.522 |
| Activity | 38.9 (27.2) | 46.7 (20.4) | 0.026 |
| Impact | 43.9 (27.2) | 46.7 (20.4) | 0.227 |
| Total | 36.0 (17.1) | 41.4 (13.4) | 0.023 |
| Inhaler device types | 0.021 | ||
| Single dose DPI | 21 (42.9) | 28 (57.1) | |
| Multidose DPI | 10 (25.6) | 29 (74.4) | |
| SMI | 8 (57.1) | 6 (42.9) | |
| MDI | 7 (58.3) | 5 (41.7) | |
DPI dry powder inhalers, SMI soft mist inhaler, MDI metered dose inhalers, GP general practitioner, COPD chronic obstructive pulmonary disease