[Instructing patients in the correct use of inhalation devices].
BACKGROUND
Limited knowledge is available on to what extent doctors and nurses know the correct use of various inhalation devices. We wanted to examine this skill among 25 doctors and 25 nurses randomly selected from the departments of pulmonology, internal medicine and surgery at a university hospital.


METHODS
Two technicians asked them to demonstrate the correct use of a metered-dose inhaler (MDI), Turbuhaler and Diskus. The performance was checked against a list of criteria with a maximum obtainable score of 9 for each device.


RESULTS
The mean (SD) scores for the MDI, Turbuhaler and Diskus were 2.6 (2.0), 2.9 (2.2) and 3.7 (2.5), respectively. The score for the Diskus was significantly higher than those for the other two devices. The staff of the pulmonary department scored significantly higher than the staff of the other two departments, the scores for the pulmonary department being 4.1 (1.9), 4.8 (1.5) and 5.5 (1.5), respectively. The scores for the department of internal medicine were 2.4 (1.8), 2.7 (2.2) and 3.4 (2.5), and the scores for the department of surgery were 1.5 (1.2), 1.4 (1.5) and 2.3 (2.5).


CONCLUSIONS
This study indicates that there is a significant potential for improvement in correct use of these inhalation devices.
Grydeland
Thomas Blix
TB
Lungeavdelingen, Haukeland Universitetssjukehus, 5021 Bergen. thomasbg@netcom.no
Methlie
Paal
P
Bakke
Per Sigvald
PS
D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D002983:Clinical Competence; D006801:Humans; D019359:Knowledge; D036501:Metered Dose Inhalers; D009330:Nebulizers and Vaporizers; D009726:Nurses; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010820:Physicians