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EVALUATING INHALER USE TECHNIQUE IN ASTHMA AND CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE PATIENTS IN FAMILY MEDICINE PRACTICE IN VARAŽDIN COUNTY
KRISTINA SAMBOL
orcid.org/0000-0002-1590-3080
; Dom zdravlja Varaždinske županije, Varaždin, Hrvatska
TATJANA CIKAČ
orcid.org/0000-0002-1590-3080
; Specijalistička ordinacija obiteljske medicine prim. Tatjana Cikač, dr. med., Varaždin, Hrvatska
Sažetak
Introduction: Correct use of inhalers allows maximum delivery of the drug to the lungs, thus achieving therapeutic effect that leads to better control of disease symptoms, especially night time symptoms and coughs. Since optimal drug delivery is a key to good control of lung disease, it is necessary to check the correctness of the use of inhalers and inhalation techniques in patients with insuffi ciently regulated disease before changing the dose of medication or drug group. The aimof this study was to evaluate the knowledge about proper use of inhalers among patients in Varaždin County. Methods: This prospective study included one hundred patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who used healthcare services in family medicine practice from October 2016 to April 2017. Practical use of the inhaler was evaluated by asking the patients to demonstrate their drug-taking technique using a placebo-controlled device, and a family medicine physician evaluated the correct use. The inhalers, according to their specifi c characteristics, were divided into two large groups of dry powder inhaler (DPI) and metered dose inhaler (MDI). All patients completed a questionnaire that included questions about how they acquired knowledge of the proper use of inhalers. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: The study comprised 39 males and 61 females. There were 76 patients diagnosed with asthma and 24 patients with COPD. More than half of the patients (53%) reported poor knowledge of the proper use of the inhaler. The most common mistakes in using both types of inhaler were that the patients did not exhale the residual volume (64%) before inhalation of the drug and sustained for 5-10 s after inhalation (56%). Conclusion: The most commonly used device was pMDI, and the most common error in their use was the absence of exhalation of residual lung volume before inhalation of the drug. The study emphasized the need to conduct a larger research on the issue to get better insight into it with the aim of improving the quality of life in asthma and COPD patients.
Ključne riječi
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; asthma; inhalation devices; family medicine
Hrčak ID:
216435
URI
Datum izdavanja:
30.1.2019.
Posjeta: 1.322 *