Background: Errors in inhalation technique affect therapy efficacy. International consensus demands a structured, repetitive inhaler technique training. Free, device-specific, web-based videos available in different languages that are scientifically validated and significantly reduce errors in inhalation technique were evaluated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: A time-series analysis was performed using an ARIMA(1,1,1) model. Monthly views from January 2012 to December 2019 served as the data baseline. Analysis period ran from January 2020 to December 2021. A 95% prediction interval (PI) was calculated.
Results: The cumulated total number of views was 3,736,667 in 2021. The overall proportion of translated video views was 25%. The time series analysis is shown in Panel A. During the pandemic the number of views fell below the 95% PI. The yearly views display a shortfall of 1.6% in 2021 compared to 2020. In contrast, the number of translated international video views rose, comprising 38.3% Panel B.
Conclusion: The 10-year trend towards an increase in video views quelled with the onset of the pandemic. The use of video consultations and web-based inhalation training do not necessarily mutually reinforce each other. Translated videos received more views than ever before. For further development, the provision in additional languages is necessary to support a patient population all over the world.