Asthma Inhaler Adherence in Adults: a Rapid Systematic Review with Meta-analysis

The study aims to undertake a rapid systematic review with meta-analysis of the interventions used to promote adherence to asthma medications in adults who have asthma. Three databases (CINAHL, Web of Science, and Medline) were searched systematically up to February 2022, to identify the factors behind the non-adherent behavior of young adults with asthma using preventer medication. Manual searching was also undertaken to detect additional research. The team screened the titles and abstracts to ensure the eligibility of included studies. The full paper was retrieved for further screening and was extracted using an extraction tool. The literature search placed nine studies with a total sample number of 74,540 that were included in the three meta-analyses. Five studies were identified for inclusion in a meta-analysis conducted to assess the effect of the intervention on adherence. The meta-analysis revealed a significant difference in adherence proportion, in favor of the intervention. Interventions delivered through technology were found to significantly enhance adults’ adherence to asthma medications. This review also revealed that there is an obvious gap in the literature that specifically examined young adults aged 18–34 years about asthma medication adherence. This demonstrates the need for robust future research to focus on this demographic (18–34 years) to develop recommendations related to enhancing young adults’ adherence to asthma inhaler medication.