Technique Matters: Why Knowing How to Use Your Inhaler is Important

You may already know that inhalers are one of the best asthma treatment options. You may also know that they are used to deliver medicine directly to the lungs for many other respiratory conditions other than asthma. But do you know that simply using an inhaler isn’t enough? Knowing how to properly use your inhaler device is equally important for the medicine to be effective.

Poor Technique Leads To Symptoms Getting Worse

With breathing conditions, there are many factors out of our control but knowing how to use the inhaler can make a huge difference. When the inhalers aren’t used properly, your COPD or asthma symptoms can get worse too. There have been many research studies that analyze inhaler techniques and how it relates to the effectiveness of treatment.

A study found that around 40% of the 218 asthma patients who took part had poor compliance with proper inhaler technique. Out of these, 85% of the people with poor compliance also had poor asthma control.

While you might think poor technique and poor control are an obvious correlation, there is another fact that might surprise you.

Making Mistakes With Inhalers, Especially pMDIs is Common

Poor technique is more common than you think. If you are using a pMDI (pressurized metered dose inhaler), which is the most commonly used type of inhaler, it is even more important to know the technique as it requires coordination to deliver the medication.

Despite being the most common, it is one of the most misused inhaler types, with a study of 100 patients that compared seven different types of inhalers showing that only 79% of people used pMDIs correctly after being given instructions. This put it in the last position with breath-actuated inhalers being the easiest to use with 91% of patients using it with good technique.

A larger study of 3,811 patients also found similar results. 76% of patients made at least one error when using a pMDI compared to 49-55% with breath-actuated inhalers.

What You Can Do

If you find your COPD and asthma symptoms getting worse even after using your inhaler regularly, you might want to check whether the technique you are using is correct. When you’re unsure, it’s best to check with your doctor or at the clinic. You might also want to explore different types of inhalers available if you find the inhaler device you are currently prescribed difficult to use. However, you should also know that there is no best inhaler for asthma or COPD. The effectiveness of the medicine depends more on whether you are using your inhaler properly.

References:

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/089426803769017613

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/02770903.2013.871558

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