RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Does the number of inhalers used by patients with asthma and COPD determine number of mistakes in inhalation technique?
JF European Respiratory Journal
JO Eur Respir J
FD European Respiratory Society
SP PA4233
DO 10.1183/13993003.congress-2019.PA4233
VO 54
IS suppl 63
A1 Izabela Domagała
A1 Marta Miszczuk
A1 Katarzyna Luczak-Wozniak
A1 Marta Dabrowska
A1 Rafal Krenke
YR 2019
UL http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/54/suppl_63/PA4233.abstract
AB Introduction: proper inhalation technique is essential for effective therapy in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The use of the smallest possible number of different inhalers (particularly, the avoidance of the concomitant use of metered dose inhalers, MDI, and dry powder inhalers, DPI) is recommended to minimize the risk of inhaler mishandling.Aim: to analyze the number of inhalation errors in relation to the number of inhalers used by patients with asthma and COPDMethods: the number, type of inhalers and inhalation errors was evaluated in consecutive patients with asthma and COPD using > 1 inhaler on a regular basis.Results: 110 patients (55 asthma, 55 COPD; 59F, 51M; median age 67 years, median disease duration 10 years) were included. The median number of different inhalers per patient was 3 (IQR 2-3); 70 patients (64%) used ≥3 inhalers. 84 patients (76%) used MDI and DPI. The median number of mistakes in inhalation technique per patient was 4 (IQR 2-6). The number of inhalers used tended to correlate with the number of inhalation errors, however this correlation did not reach statistical significance (r=0,2, p=0.056). We did not find differences in number of used inhalers between patients, who made <3 and ≥ 3 inhalation errors.Conclusions: despite the current recommendations on inhaled therapy, the majority of patients with asthma and COPD still use more than two types of inhalers on a regular basis. The number of inhalers used was not related with the number of inhalation errors in our investigated group.FootnotesCite this article as: European Respiratory Journal 2019; 54: Suppl. 63, PA4233.This is an ERS International Congress abstract. No full-text version is available. Further material to accompany this abstract may be available at www.ers-education.org (ERS member access only).