Respiratory Medicines Optimisation & Inhaler Technique in Community Pharmacy
A practical, service-oriented course for community pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and trained support staff in Great Britain. Covers the burden of asthma and COPD, inhaler device technique for pMDI, DPI and spacers, running structured inhaler check-up services, medicines optimisation and adherence, and how to embed respiratory quality improvement into everyday pharmacy practice.
Audio overview of this course — great for commuting or a quick preview 🎧
Asthma and COPD together affect around 12 million people in the UK. The majority are managed entirely in primary care — and the majority of those patients visit a community pharmacy every month to collect their inhalers. Yet studies consistently show that up to 90% of patients have at least one significant inhaler technique error, and that poor technique is directly linked to poor disease control, increased exacerbations and avoidable hospital admissions. Community pharmacy has both the opportunity and the obligation to act on this.
This course gives community pharmacy teams the clinical knowledge and practical service skills to deliver high-quality inhaler technique support — from opportunistic checks at the dispensary counter to structured commissioned inhaler check-up services. It covers the clinical evidence base, the technique differences between device types, how to run a safe and effective consultation, how to identify and address adherence problems, and how to embed respiratory quality improvement into the pharmacy's everyday clinical work.
What you'll learn
- ✓The burden of asthma and COPD in UK primary care and why poor inhaler technique drives poor outcomes
- ✓Technique requirements for pMDI, DPI, soft-mist inhalers and spacers — including critical errors for each
- ✓How to run a structured inhaler check-up consultation including history, technique assessment, control scoring and safety-netting
- ✓How to identify and address adherence problems — high SABA use, under-use of preventers, device confusion
- ✓Medicines optimisation principles within the pharmacist's non-prescribing role
- ✓How to integrate inhaler technique checks into daily workflow, commissioned services and PQS activities
- ✓How to use QI data to demonstrate impact and support commissioning discussions
"Up to 90% of patients make at least one critical error with their inhaler. Community pharmacy is ideally placed to identify and correct these errors at every dispensing interaction." — CPE Inhaler Technique Service Guide
Aligned with current service standards
This course is aligned with CPE inhaler technique service specifications and consultation guides (Greater Manchester; Thames Valley/Wessex), the Healthy London Partnership inhaler technique toolkit, Asthma + Lung UK guidance on the pharmacy role, PSNC inhaler technique service briefings, and published community pharmacy inhaler service evaluations. Local commissioning arrangements, service specifications and national respiratory guidelines (BTS/SIGN, NICE) are updated regularly —always check the current CPE, ICB/LPC and national guidance before designing or delivering a local service.
👤Who this is for
Community pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in Great Britain as primary learners, with content also applicable to trained dispensing assistants and MCAs who support respiratory patients under pharmacist supervision. Particularly relevant for pharmacies delivering or planning to deliver commissioned inhaler technique or respiratory review services, and for teams wanting to improve opportunistic respiratory support in everyday dispensing practice.
⚠️ Clinical content evolves — always check current guidelines. Respiratory guidelines (BTS/SIGN, NICE NG80, NICE NG115), local commissioning arrangements and service specifications are regularly updated. This course provides a practical framework aligned with current guidance at time of writing. Always verify the latest guidelines and your local ICB/LPC service specifications before making clinical decisions or designing commissioned services.
This course includes
Course Curriculum
Frequently asked questions
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This course includes
- 📚 5 modules · 11 lessons
- ⏱ 2h 30m self-paced learning
- 🎧 Audio course introduction
- 📥 3 downloadable templates & checklists
- 📝 Knowledge assessment quiz
- 🔁 Unlimited quiz re-attempts
- 🏆 Verified certificate on completion
- ♾️ Lifetime access to content
Downloadable templates
- Inhaler Technique Consultation Checklist
- Respiratory QI Data Capture Template
- Team Inhaler Training Plan Template
Templates unlock after enrolment
Standards & currency
Written by UK pharmacy experts. Always verify against current official guidance before clinical use.
Certificate of Achievement
Complete this course and earn a personalised, printable certificate — with your name, course title and a unique certificate number. Suitable as CPD evidence for GPhC revalidation and GPhC inspection records.