The present invention relates to a sensor module (110) and a method (210) for determining an administration rate of an
aerosol of an
aerosol stream (112), where the
aerosol stream (112) is provided to a patient through an
inhalation device, and to an
inhalation device. Here, the sensor module (110) comprises:-an adaptive structure (160) designed to attach the sensor module (110) to the suction device; -measuring a volume (114); -a concentration measurement unit (124) designed to generate at least one first measurement
signal as a function of an aerosol concentration in the measurement volume (114); a flow measuring unit which is designed to generate at least one second measurement
signal as a function of the flow of the aerosol flow (112) through the measurement volume (114), the flow measuring unit comprising a pressure measuring unit (140), the pressure measuring unit (140) comprising a
differential pressure sensor (148), the
differential pressure sensor (148) being designed to measure the flow of the aerosol flow (112) through the measurement volume (114). Wherein a first port (146) of the
differential pressure sensor (148) is designed to determine a first pressure in front of a flow collection structure (152) contained in the measurement volume (114), and wherein a second port (154) of the differential
pressure sensor (148) is designed to determine a second pressure behind the flow collection structure (152), wherein the differential
pressure sensor (148) is adapted to generate at least one second measurement
signal as a function of a difference between the first pressure and the second pressure; and-an evaluation unit (156) designed to determine the administration rate of the aerosol in the
inhalation device on the basis of a simultaneous determination of the aerosol concentration from the at least one first measurement signal and the inhalation flow from the at least one second measurement signal. The sensor module (110) and method (210) allow for accurate determination of the administration rate of aerosol actually received by a patient from an aerosol
stream (112) when using the inhalation device, the inhalation
dose per
respiration, and the total inhalation
dose per application. The sensor module (110) may be used with existing or novel
inhalation devices that benefit from the determination of the actually received aerosol administration rate, while the patient may continue to use a familiar inhalation device.