Assessment of Pressurised Metered Dose Inhaler Technique o Nursing Staff in Different Government Hospitals of Karachi

Objective: To assess pressurised metered dose inhaler technique of the nursing staff in different government hospitals of Karachi. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in four randomly chosen government hospitals of Karachi. After checking for study criteria and obtaining written informed consent, a total of 120 nurses were interviewed and then given a placebo inhaler to demonstrate their inhaler technique. The reference for assessment was the 12-step inhalation technique suggested by the American College of Chest Physicians. Results: The study results revealed that out of the 12 steps of the inhaler technique, only 3 steps were followed by a majority of the study participants i.e. taking the cap off (64.2%), putting the metered dose inhaler in mouth with lips sealed (59.2%) and breathing in slowly by pressing down the metered dose inhaler (62.5%). The mean inhaler technique score of the study participants was 3.18 +/- 2.34 out of 12 and only 1 (0.8%) of them had correct inhaler technique. Furthermore, the mean inhaler technique score was significantly higher for higher education level (p=0.001) and greater experience (p<0.001). Conclusion: The study results demonstrated the acute deficiency of knowledge about the correct inhaler technique among the study nurses. Appropriate resources should be directed towards educating nurses to make sure that their needed knowledge and skills stay updated.