A Comparative Study On Inhaler Use Among Bronchial Asthma And COPD Patients.

ABSTRACT

Background: Bronchial Asthma and COPD are among the cause of substantial morbidity and mortality, the treatment and control of which is hampered by incorrect use of inhaler. Methodology: Present study is a part of another hospital based study conducted among the patients using DPI, attending the OPD and IPD of department of TB & Chest diseases, FH Medical College Hospital. The secondary analysis was done to compare the inhaler use technique among Bronchial Asthma and COPD patients. The subjects were selected non-randomly (purposely), and observed by a single observer, while they were using the inhaler. The steps were noted at which the subjects were observed to be performing incorrectly, in a pre-tested structured format. Results: The mean age was observed to be significantly higher in COPD patients (53.5±12.0 years) as compared to that of bronchial asthma patients (46.9±17.5 years). Higher proportion of bronchial asthma patients (20%) were found to be using the inhaler correctly, as compared to COPD patients (11.8%), though it was not found to be statistically significant (p>0.05). Among the bronchial asthma patients, the most frequent mistake was made during breath holding after inhalation (68%), while among COPD patients, most crucial steps were slow exhalation i.e. step 4 and forceful inhalation through the mouth i.e. step 5 (72.9%). Conclusion: Incorrect usage of inhalers is widely prevalent among its users, which is not related to the diagnosis for which it is prescribed.