EVALUATION OF THE METERED-DOSE INHALER TECHNIQUE AMONG HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS

Poor inhaler technique is a common problem both in asthma patients and healthcareproviders, which contributes to poor asthma control. this study was performed to evaluate the adequacyof metered-dose inhaler (mdi) technique in a sample of physicians and nurses practicing in hamadanuniversity hospitals. a total of 173 healthcare providers voluntary participated in this study. after theparticipants answered a questionnaire aimed at identifying their involvement in mdi prescribing andcounseling, a trained observer assessed their mdi technique using a checklist of nine steps. of the 173participants, 35 (20.2%) were physicians and 138 (79.8%) were nurses. only 12 participants (6.93%)performed all steps correctly. physicians performed essential steps significantly better than nurses(85.7% vs. 63.8%, p < 0.05). the majority of healthcare providers responsible for instructing patientson the correct mdi technique were unable to perform this technique correctly, indicating the need forregular formal training programs on inhaler techniques.