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Child and parent satisfaction with the use of spacer devices in acute asthma
E M Cotterell1, M Gazarian, R L Henry
1Children's Emergency Department, Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia.
Insights
Parents and children report high satisfaction with using spacer devices for acute asthma treatment. The majority prefer spacers over nebulizers for easier and quicker medication delivery.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Respiratory Medicine
- Clinical Pharmacy
Background:
- Acute asthma management in children often involves inhaled bronchodilators.
- Traditional nebulizer treatments can be time-consuming and less preferred by patients.
- Spacer devices offer an alternative delivery method for inhaled medications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess parent and child satisfaction with spacer devices for acute asthma.
- To compare parent preference for spacers versus nebulizers.
- To evaluate the ease of use and tolerability of spacers in pediatric asthma patients.
Main Methods:
- Anonymous questionnaires administered to parents and children (aged 8+) in an emergency department setting.
- Study focused on mild to moderately severe acute asthma cases treated with bronchodilators via spacer.
- Data collected on ease of use, tolerability, and overall preference compared to nebulizers.
Main Results:
- High parent satisfaction reported, with 84% finding spacers easy to use and 85% intending to use them at home.
- Among parents who used nebulizers previously, 84% preferred spacers, citing easier use and better child tolerance.
- Children (8-14 years) also found spacers easy to use, with 82% preferring them due to speed and simplicity.
Conclusions:
- Spacer devices are highly acceptable for children and parents in managing acute asthma.
- The majority of users prefer spacers over nebulizers for bronchodilator delivery.
- Spacers represent a preferred, effective, and well-tolerated alternative for pediatric asthma care.
Objective:
To evaluate child and parent satisfaction with the use of spacers in acute asthma.
Methods:
All parents of children presenting to the emergency department of Sydney Children's Hospital over a 3-month period with mild to moderately severe acute asthma who were treated with bronchodilators by spacer device were asked to complete an anonymous questionnaire. Children aged 8 years and older completed a separate questionnaire independently.
Results:
One hundred and eleven of 158 parents (70%) responded. The majority (84%) found it 'easy' or 'very easy' to use the spacer and 85% reported that they intended to use the spacer at home. Of those parents who had previously used a nebulizer (n = 73), 84% said that the spacer was easier to use, 77% said that the spacer was better tolerated by their child and 84% said that overall they preferred the spacer. Seventeen of 31 children aged 8-14 years treated with a spacer (55%) responded to the satisfaction survey. All respondents found it 'easy' or 'OK' to use the spacer and the majority (82%) 'liked it' or thought 'it was OK'. The majority of children (82%) said that they preferred using spacers because it was quicker (29%) or easier to use (53%).
Conclusion:
The use of spacer devices in mild to moderately severe acute asthma is highly acceptable for children and parents; the majority prefer this mode of drug delivery to nebulization.
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