Audiovisual demonstration for patient counselling in the use of pressurised aerosol bronchodilator inhalers

Abstract

The use of video as a method of instructing subjects on correct inhaler technique was compared with the written and personal instruction of 150 volunteer subjects with no previous experience of such a device. Video was found to be as effective as personal tuition by a pharmacist and significantly (P less than 0.05) superior to the manufacturer's package insert in teaching correct inhaler technique. The technique was assessed by a panel of five investigators in each case and was found to deteriorate over a 2-week period regardless of the instruction method. The video, which was prepared 'in-house', was then assessed in both the hospital out-patient and the general practice pharmacy settings. Asthmatic patients found the video useful at identifying mistakes they were making and felt that this approach to their education should be more widely available.