Inhalation adherence monitoring using smart electonic add-on device: Accuracy evalutaion using simulated real-life test program

We present an evaluation of the accuracy of an adherence monitoring add-on device (SmartTurbo v2.0, Nexus6 Limited, Auckland, New Zealand) designed to fit a commercial inhalation device (Turbuhaler®, dry powder inhaler, AstraZeneca). The evaluation has been based on simulated real-life placebo usage by 11 patients and carried out during a 12 day period. The simulated usage covered low and high inhalation patterns. Of the simulated total 2089 inhalation events 2073 were correctly detected and recorded on the devices´ memory. The above indicated an overall accuracy of detection of 99.2%, including possible human errors from the testers. The results confirm that the tested add-on device could successfully be utilized in clinical trials as a reliable replacement of a patient diary report.