A recent study reveals that many patients who are prescribed asthma inhalers or epinephrine injectors to relieve symptoms of asthma or avoid allergic reactions do not know how to properly use such devices.
Researchers at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) suggests that many people think that they are properly using asthma inhalers or epinephrine injector but they do not use the devices properly.
The study involved 102 patients who were prescribed epinephrine injectors and 44 patients used asthma inhalers. The researchers suggest that 11 percent patients who were prescribed epinephrine injectors had previously used it, while 80 percent asthma patients had used an inhaler before.
The researchers suggest that just 16 percent of the patients who were prescribed epinephrine for severe allergic reactions correctly utilized their auto-injector. Only 7 percent of asthma patients who were prescribed metered-dose inhalers (MDI) used the device properly.
Rana Bonds, the lead author of the study, suggests that people who used these devices were not trained properly to use the device, did not understand the instructions entirely and forgot the guidelines to use the devices over time. Bonds suggests that people with previous medical education or younger patients had a higher probability of using epinephrine auto-injector properly.
The study found that the most common mistake for epinephrine injector users was that they did not hold the device in place for a minimum of 10 seconds after triggering. The study also found that many patients failed to place the right end of the device on their thigh and they did not push down the injector sufficient enough to trigger the injection.
Many patients who used asthma inhalers did not exhale before taking a puff. Medical experts suggest that exhaling before taking the puff empties the lungs, which allows the patient to take a deep breath while the medicine is being inhaled. The study also found that many patients did not shake the inhalers properly before administering a puff.
Aasia Ghazi, the study author, believes that there is still room for patients to make improvement on how they use these devices. Ghazi believes that visual presentations regarding the instructions should be more effective.
"Improper use of the devices means people's lives are at stake, especially with epinephrine, and there is reduced value in the medicine they're trying to use. Most patients made multiple mistakes and steps were missed. They wouldn't benefit from these potentially life-saving tools if they were in trouble," says Ghazi.
Healthcare professionals suggest that incorrect use of these devices may reduce the effectiveness of their treatment.
