Promoting compliance with Diskus Inhaler use in asthma patients

Roger Watson, Editor

Inhalation medication is an essential therapy for patients with asthma. As the prevalence of asthma increases and increasing numbers of people depend on inhalers to help them breathe efficiently, and new designs of inhaler become available, then the techniques associated with these inhalers is increasingly important. A recent study by Mac Hale et al. (2014) titled A nurse-led intervention: promoting compliance with Diskus Inhaler use in asthma patients  and published in Nursing Open describes the effect of an educational programme on inhaler use. 

The importance of correct inhaler technique for asthma control is investigated. Inadequate patient instruction and poor patient inhaler technique impact significantly on asthma control as the therapeutic benefit is below optimal. This paper reports on a study which examined the value of a nurse-led programme to educate asthma patients on correct inhaler technique, specifically a Diskus inhaler. The study participants were attending a respiratory clinic and had used an inhaler for many years.

Through the use of a ten step Inhaler Proficiency Schedule and a Patient Reported Behaviour inventory it was shown that on initial assessment, only two steps of the Diskus inhaler technique were correctly completed by all participants. No one critical step was successfully completed by all participants at the first visit. Participants reported being careless about using their inhaler some of the time or all of the time. The overall results confirmed that a nurse led education programme can promote compliance with inhaler use in patients with asthma. Additionally inhaler technique education improved participant inhaler technique, participant confidence levels in relation to self-administration of the inhaler and adherence to prescribed frequency of use. 

Reference

Mac Hale E, Costello RW, Cowman S (2014) A nurse-led intervention: promoting compliance with Diskus Inhaler use in asthma patients Nursing Open doi: 10.1002/nop2.10