Introduction: The present paper was aimed at indicating and discussing the possible problems related to inhaler devices by considering the knowledge and practices of the physicians regarding the inhalation therapies.
Materials and methods: The present study is a prospective, cross-sectional survey carried out by Turkish Respiratory Society Inhalation Therapy Group between February 2010 and February 2011 with a participation of ten individual centres. Seven inhaler devices that were available on the market in the country were assessed. The data on the problems that 684 clinicians actively attending patients with respiratory disorders experienced in daily clinical practice or their evaluations of their patients were obtained through the questionnaire.
Results: The respondents, most of whom were pulmonologist (37.5%), and pediatrist (38.1%), had been,on average, 11.6 years in profession. The source of information on inhalers and administration techniques were reported to be mainly the internet and patient leaflets. Of the participants only 18.5% reported to have had adequate knowledge of inhaler devices and proper administration techniques. Most of the participants stated that they themselves provided the instructions of administration and that the method was often verbal explanation. The physicians believed that although approximately 60% of the patients used the drug correctly, 40.7% made critical mistakes to have adverse effects on the therapeutic outcome. The most important criteria on which the physians lay greater emphasis in choosing the inhaler devices were the physical capability, skills and age of the patients.
Conclusion: The awareness of proper use of inhaler devices is a fundamental prerequisite for effective inhalation therapy has been improved in physicians. The results of the present study have shown that more effort is required for professional training. Assisting the physicans with medical personnel for training of the patients and educational motivation are required.