Application of inhaled drugs from the pharmacist’s point of view

Czech version

Authors: Lucia Masaryková; Petra Polaščíková
Published in: Čes. slov. Farm., 2020; 69, 172-184
Category: Original Articles

Overview

The basis of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) treatment is inhalation therapy, which brings several benefits and its success is based on the correct inhalation technique.

Aim: The primary aim of the research was to find out what percentage of patients could apply their medicines properly, what inhalation systems were preferred in the treatment of these respiratory diseases, what most common mistakes in the inhalation technique patients made when using inhalers as well as what was patients’ approach to the possibility of being educated by a community pharmacist.

Methods: Essential data to accomplish the goal were obtained by a questionnaire survey in which 102 respondents (patients) participated. The anonymous questionnaire consisted of 18 questions focusing on the inhalation systems that patients use and particular steps that need to be taken when inhaling the medicine.

Results: 83.33 % of patients with bronchial asthma and 9.8 %  of patients with chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) participated in the study. “Inhaler” was the most prescribed out of all the other kinds of inhalators, used by 54.9 % of respondents. It turned out that up to 63 % of the respondents using MDIs or DPIs had encounetered some kind of error when inhaling their drugs. The most common mistake with both types of inhalation systems was not holding their breath for sufficient time (5 to 10 seconds) after inhaling from the inhaler. Dry–powder inhalers (DPIs) proved to be used more erroneously compared to aerosol dispensers (MDIs).

Conclusion: The obtained results showed that errors in the inhalation technique seem yet to be a hot issue for more than half of patients with respiratory diseases. Pharmacists have a great potential to improve the situation by giving pieces of advice and instructions regarding the proper application of medicines to help patients to enhance the performance of inhalation and thus increase the treatment efficiency.

Keywords:

Asthma – adherence

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Article was published in

Czech and Slovak Pharmacy

2020 Issue 4

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