ResearcherID - CLICK HERE Scientific Journal Impact Factor (SJIF-2020) - CLICK HERE

EVALUATION OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF PROPER METERED-DOSE INHALER AND SPACER USAGE TECHNIQUE IN HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS

Shehryar Asif Malik, Ahmad Usman, Muhammad Husnain

Objective: To evaluate the knowledge of physicians regarding the proper technique of using metered-dose inhaler and spacer, to avoid the disappointingly common misuse of the metered dose inhalers among the patients of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 75 consenting nurses and doctors working in general medicine and emergency medicine at Nishtar Hospital Multan selected by non-probability convenient sampling. Their knowledge regarding the technique of using metered-dose inhaler and spacer was evaluated by a self-administered questionnaire. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 25, and the association was examined using Chi-square and Fisher’s Exact Test. Results: The mean age of the respondent was 25.5±7.7 years. 33(44%) were males, 45(60%) were doctors, and nurses were 30(40%) in number. Adequate knowledge of the spacer device was demonstrated by only 20 out of 75 participants, representing 26.7% of the total respondents. A mere 21.3% of the participants checked their patient’s inhaler technique. Only 9 out of the 75 (12%) participants, all of whom were doctors, knew at least three essential steps of the correct method of usage of the metered-dose inhaler. None of the participants knew all the correct steps for the use of the metered-dose inhaler. Conclusion: The knowledge of health care providers regarding the use of the metered-dose inhaler and spacer was poor. There is a need to train and retrain health care providers to boost their knowledge of proper inhaler use via regular education programs with constant reminders in the form of online videos or seminars. Keywords: Asthma, Inhalers, Spacers, Knowledge, Doctors, Nurses.