PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Jessica MacQuarrie
AU  - France Lebel
TI  - Inspiration: An assistance program for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients on pirfenidone
DP  - 2014 Sep 01
TA  - European Respiratory Journal
PG  - P3810
VI  - 44
IP  - Suppl 58
4099  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/44/Suppl_58/P3810.short
4100  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/44/Suppl_58/P3810.full
SO  - Eur Respir J2014 Sep 01; 44
AB  - Introduction: The INSPIRATION program supports patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis undergoing pirfenidone therapy in Canada.Aim: To evaluate patient satisfaction with the INSPIRATION program.Methods: The experiences of 50 patients enrolled in the program the longest, between 8-13 months (median 10 months), were evaluated from the time of enrollment and throughout treatment.Results: Assistance with reimbursement processing and drug order and delivery coordination resulted in 54% of patients starting pirfenidone within an average of 8 days (median 8 days) after enrollment. The remaining patients began therapy after a longer period (median 55 days) mostly due to pending reimbursement. During therapy, nurses contacted and spoke with patients on average 10 times for ∼20 minutes per call, while 41 patients called in an average of 2 times during treatment for ∼20 minutes per call. Frequent topics included patient well-being, drug tolerance, symptoms, scheduled appointments, blood tests, and test results. Nurses generally reported on treatment compliance, answered questions and provided patient education regarding symptom prevention and management. Based on the close nurse-patient interaction, 85% of patients were satisfied with the program according to a satisfaction survey:Conclusion: Overall, patients were satisfied with the INSPIRATION program suggesting that it enhanced their therapy experience.