According to research published in the Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research, patients with bronchial asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) will fare best with the use of metered dose inhalers (MDIs) with spacer devices.

Researchers examined 105 male and female patients with these two conditions, aged between 18 and 75 years, to determine the frequency of proper inhalation device use and how age and training influence it. The participants were asked about the errors committed in different steps of use and inhalation techniques.

In addition, participants were asked about the nature of medical professionals and others who imparted training on the device as well as the time devoted to training. A Pharmacy Times news report notes that the researchers determined that 31 patients utilized dry power inhalers (DPIs), 24 used MDIs with spacer devices, and 50 used standard MDIs. The amount of patients who could correctly use their devices numbered 16.12% (DPI), 6% (MDI), and 20.8% (MDI with spacer devices).

According to Pharmacy Times, no differences were seen among errors committed with the difference deviced based on the socioeconomic status of the subjects, trainer, or educational background. The majority of participants (83.81%) received training from a healthcare professional, such as a doctor or nurse, while the remaining 16.19% of patients were trained by “general people,” which included neighbors and family members.

The authors of the study conclude, “Doctors often did not have sufficient time to train patients regarding proper technique of inhaler use. With ever-increasing and widespread use of inhalers, patient education is becoming more important. Proper training will surely make these drugs more effective and cost-benefit ratio more favorable.”

The researchers write that by improving the time spent on instructing patients, correct device use could become more widespread, as noted on the Pharmacy Times news report.

Source: Pharmacy Times