ClinicalTrials.gg
Not yet recruitingNCT07803042INSPIRE-KIDSUpdated Sep 3, 2026

Using a Digital Spacer for Inhaler Technique Education in Pediatric Asthma

An interventional study of Aflo™ Smart Spacer in Asthma (Diagnosis), Inhaler Technique and Pediatric Asthma, sponsored by University Medical Center Groningen. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in Netherlands. Open to participants aged 6 Years to 18 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-03.

Sponsored by University Medical Center Groningen · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
12
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
6 Years to 18 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This pilot study evaluates the feasibility, usability, and potential effect of the aflo™ Smart Spacer platform in children aged 6-18 with uncontrolled asthma using pMDIs and spacers. The study investigates changes in inhaler technique, asthma control, and lung function following 3 months of daily use of the CE-marked aflo™ device.

Read the detailed description

Asthma management in children is often limited by inadequate inhaler technique and adherence. The aflo™ Smart Spacer is a CE-marked device that measures both adherence and inhaler technique, providing real-time feedback, medication reminders, and symptom tracking.

This single-arm, single-center, 12-week pilot study aims to assess the platform's potential effect on inhaler technique errors, its feasibility in pediatric clinical practice, and usability. Participants will use the device for 3 months in daily life, with assessments at baseline and week 12, and phone calls at weeks 4 and 8. Findings will inform the design and sample size of a future controlled clinical trial.

02

Conditions studied

  • Asthma (Diagnosis)
  • Inhaler Technique
  • Pediatric Asthma

Keywords

  • pediatric asthma
  • inhaler technique
  • medication adherence
  • pMDI
  • spacer
  • smart inhaler
  • smart spacer
  • digital health
  • aflo™
03

In context

Asthma

4,841 studies on the registry are indexed under Asthma; 600 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 12 is below the median of 78 across 3,341 interventional studies indexed under Asthma.

Browse Asthma studies →

Lead sponsor

University Medical Center Groningen is the lead sponsor of 627 studies on the registry; 176 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
6 Years to 18 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Age 6-18 years
  • Physician-diagnosed asthma
  • Using ICS ± LABA ± LAMA ± SABA via pMDI and spacer suitable for aflo™
  • Uncontrolled asthma (ACT \<19 and/or recent exacerbation and/or suspected nonadherence/poor technique)
  • Access to an Apple or Android smartphone (OS ≥ 4.3)
  • Willing and able to give assent/consent (parents/guardians for minors)

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Chronic lung disease other than asthma
  • Significant cardiac disease
  • Not able to understand Dutch sufficiently
  • No access to stable mobile internet
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
12 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Aflo™ Smart Spacer Platform

    Participants receive the aflo™ device for home use during 3 months.

    Device: Aflo™ Smart Spacer

Interventions

  • DeviceAflo™ Smart Spacer

    A CE-marked digital spacer device that measures inhaler technique (step-by-step), adherence, daily symptoms, and provides real-time feedback and reminders via a linked mobile application.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in inhaler technique errors

    Errors detected by aflo™ sensor relating to pMDI-spacer technique steps.

    Time frame: Baseline (mean of first 3 days) vs. end-of-study (mean of last 3 days)

Secondary outcomes

  1. Asthma Control Test (ACT)

    childrens ACT score change over time

    Time frame: Baseline vs. week 12

  2. Change in FEV1/FVC ratio

    Change in FEV1/FVC ratio (%) from baseline to 3 months.

    Time frame: Baseline vs. week 12

  3. Change in FEF25-75

    Change in FEF25-75 (L/s) from baseline to 3 months.

    Time frame: Baseline vs. week 12

  4. Change in FEF75

    Change in FEF75 (L/s) from baseline to 3 months.

    Time frame: Baseline vs. week 12

  5. Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO)

    Change in FeNO

    Time frame: Baseline vs. week 12

  6. Proportion of prescribed inhalations taken

    Adherence to inhaled medication measured as the percentage of prescribed inhalations taken over the 3-month study period.

    Time frame: 3 months (from baseline to final study visit)

  7. Asthma exacerbations

    Number of asthma exacerbations during 3 months

    Time frame: 3 months (from baseline to final study visit)

  8. Short-acting β-agonist (SABA) use

    Number of SABA puffs measured by device data

    Time frame: 3 months (from baseline to final study visit)

  9. System Usability Scale (SUS)

    SUS score about the Aflo™ device

    Time frame: SUS score measured once at week 12 (final study visit)

07

Study locations

1 site
08

References and documents

Study documents

PDFs hosted by the registry, ClinicalTrials.gov.

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No — No individual participant data will be shared. Only aggregate results may be shared upon publication.

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Start is estimated for Sep 2026; primary completion for Jan 2027, 4 months later.

Of 599 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Asthma, half reached primary completion within 24 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 11 and three quarters within 50. This study's planned 4 months is below that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 649 studies reached it within 23 months; a quarter within 10 and three quarters within 48.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Aug 25, 2026
First posted
Sep 3, 2026
StartEst.
Sep 2026
Primary completionEst.
Jan 2027
CompletionEst.
Jun 2027
Last update
Sep 3, 2026
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Sep 3, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07803042
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Sep 3, 2026
Start date
Sep 2026 (estimated)
Primary completion
Jan 2027 (estimated)
Completion
Jun 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Sep 3, 2026

Study contacts

Job F.M. van Boven, Dr
Contact
j.f.m.van.boven@umcg.nl
003150 361 7893
Sophie I.M. Veenstra, MSc
Contact
s.i.m.veenstra@umcg.nl
0031646938143
Job FM van Boven, Dr
principal investigator · Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
Annelies M Zwitserloot, Dr
principal investigator · Department of Pediatric Pulmonology and Allergy, Beatrix Children's Hospital, University Medical Center Groningen,, Groningen, The Netherlands

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Nov 2025. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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