A new smartphone app called Trainhaler Buddy has been launched to help patients more easily learn inhaler technique.

Available as a free download for IOS and android devices, the app, developed by Clin-e-cal, helps guide patients towards making a slow, long, and deep inhalation required for a pressurised inhaler.

The app is used in conjunction with a Trainhaler (Clement Clarke International), a training device equipped with a whistling mouthpiece (Flo-Tone) that teaches patients to use a pressurised inhaler. 

The Trainhaler sounds when the user achieves the correct flow rate. The Trainhaler Buddy App, connected acoustically to the user’s smart phone, then uses simple animation to provide real-time visual feedback to help patients to understand when they have achieved the required slow, long and deep inhalation.  Using their inhaler correctly will ensure patients receive the correct dose of medication.

The company recommends that the app be downloaded by pharmacists to use in face-to-face patient training and education. 

In a study using a similar Clin-e-cal App to Trainhaler Buddy, it was found that visual feedback helped inhaler users in just three attempts to improve inhalation duration.