Want to sharpen your inhaler skills? Asthma experts are giving GPs in Coffs Harbour the opportunity to better help respiratory patients who are struggling to use their inhalers correctly.
The Woolcock Institute of Medical Research is calling for GP volunteers for a new study looking at doctors’ experiences with inhaler technique on different devices.
“There are so many devices available and their use can be complicated, making it difficult for the health care professionals and the patient to know the best way to use each,” says Chief Investigator Professor Sinthia Bosnic-Anticevich. “GPs are the healthcare professional that most people with respiratory illness turn to for support and care, so it’s important that we do everything we can to ensure GPs are upskilled in this area.”
Two million Australians have asthma, and many use an inhaled corticosteroid and a reliever inhaler to manage their condition. These medications cost more than $300m in direct health expenditure each year.
Recent studies by the Woolcock found up to 90 per cent of asthmatics don’t use their inhaler correctly. Problems include positioning, timing of inhalation, inhalation itself and failure to recognise problems with the device. Rates of poor use are highest among the elderly but span across all age groups.
Studies have shown that improving inhaler technique can improve asthma control and reduce symptoms, Professor Sinthia Bosnic-Anticevich says.
“So making small changes to improve technique could make a big difference to the lives of people suffering from asthma,” she says.
In response to the problem, the institute has launched a trial in which researchers will visit GPs at their practice twice, one month apart, to explore the use of two commonly used inhalers.
“In these brief five-minute meetings we’ll be asking our enrolled GPs to demonstrate how to use a couple of placebo devices,” Professor Bosnic-Anticevich says. “After they’ve tried them we’ll progressively give more comprehensive information on device technique with the goal to work out exactly the right amount of information that is needed to help GPs achieve device mastery.”
The study will help Woolcock researchers develop strategies to better support GPs when it comes to inhaler use.
“It might be that we discover some devices are a lot more intuitive than others and might lend themselves better to correct usage,” Professor Bosnic-Anticevich says.
GPs will get to keep the ‘training’ shell-only inhalers used in the study, and will be given educational material and training regarding the use of a range of other commonly used inhaler devices.
All study visits will be conducted at the practice at a time convenient to the participating GP.
To express interest in this study, contact Professor Sinthia Bosnic-Anticevich on (02) 9114 0145 or email [email protected].
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