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[Use of inhaled bronchodilators by primary care patients]
L Benito Ortiz1, F C Pérez Sánchez, M P Nieto Sánchez
1Centros de Salud Los Comuneros, Federico García Lorca y San Agustin, Burgos.
Objective:
To find how widespread incorrect inhalation techniques are in patients on long-term inhalation treatments, comparing different methods and the health control standard.
Design:
A descriptive crossover study.
Setting:
Three Health Centres in Burgos.
Patients:
People over 15 with at least a month on inhalation treatment.
Measurements And Main Results:
A questionnaire was composed to find the characteristics of the patients and their illness. Then their inhalation method was qualified as correct, acceptable or incorrect, using a scale based on Newman's classic criteria. Average age was 63.8 +/- 15.6, with 66.5% men. 11.6% of patients were active smokers. The most common diagnosis was COPD (61.6%). 65% of the patients were monitored within primary care (PC). The most common inhalation method was pressurised aerosol (61%); 26.2% of patients used two or more different methods. Only 21.3% of patients correctly performed the technique of inhalation, with better results for patients under specialist care (SC) than PC. 10.5% of patients had never received instruction on an inhalation technique. The method with the best results was the dry dust one, with differences close to statistical significance.
Conclusions:
There is widespread incorrect use of methods of inhalation. Most people use a pressurised aerosol. There are a large number of patients who have never been shown the correct way to inhale.