ASSESSMENT OF INHALER TECHNIQUES IN ASTHMATIC PATIENTS IN KING ABDULAZIZ SPECIALIST HOSPITAL AND KING FAISAL COMPLEX, TAIF 2021

Introduction: Uncontrolled asthma continues to be a leading cause of emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations. Improper asthma inhaler device use is most certainly one of the leading reasons for uncontrolled asthma and frequent emergency department visits. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among asthmatic patients in Taif, Saudi Arabia, to assess the use of inhaler techniques for further proper asthma control in the future. A self-administrated questionnaire was distributed for data collection. Results: A total of 210 patients were included in this study, most of them (64.8%) used MDI devices, 18.1% used Turbuhaler, 8.6% used Diskus, and 8.6% used MDI with spacer. The majority (87.1%) were found to improperly use inhalers. Gender (P=0.000), age (P=0.000), follow-up with a doctor (P=0.000), educational level (P=0.000), being educated about asthma medication (P=0.000), ED visits (P=0.000), and the device used (P=0.026) were significantly associated with the mean score of inhaler use. Conclusion: We found that improper inhaler use was common among asthmatic patients in Taif, Saudi Arabia. Females, younger participants, those who follow-up with PHC physicians, those with a university degree, those who never visited the ED this year, and those who used the Turbuhaler device had the most proper inhaler use significantly.

Keywords: Inhaler techniques; asthma; device; therapy.