An online Galaxy survey of more than one thousand Australians diagnosed with asthma has shown that incorrect inhaler technique is one of the leading causes of poorly-controlled asthma.
Despite receiving adequate treatment, poor adherence and using asthma inhalers incorrectly contributes to people not getting the most out of their medicines.
The new survey* released by NPS MedicineWise shows that most adults using asthma inhalers are confident about their technique. However, this is in contrast to figures from the Asthma Handbook showing that most Australians with asthma don’t actually use their inhaler correctly, suggesting there is a need to regularly check their technique with a health professional.
“A huge 97% of adults taking asthma medication are confident they’re using their medicine correctly — with 57% saying they’re ‘very confident’ in their inhaler technique — but this doesn’t match with figures from the Asthma Handbook that show up to 90% of Australians with asthma don’t use their inhaler correctly,” MedicineWise CEO Dr Lynn Weekes said.
To help tackle the uncertainty around inhaler technique, and to help Australians get the most from their asthma medicine, the Minister for Health, Peter Dutton launched a new learning resource for health professionals to help people with asthma get their inhaler technique right.
Developed jointly by Asthma Australia and NPS MedicineWise, the free ‘Unlocking asthma inhaler technique’ online learning module will equip pharmacists, nurses (particularly practice nurses) and other health professionals.
Over half of all respondents to the survey said they had experienced symptoms in the past four weeks, including wheezing, breathlessness and night waking. As many as 3% reported needing to go the hospital in the past four weeks because their wheezing was really bad.
The majority of the adults surveyed who take asthma medication (72%) said they don’t have a health professional check their inhaler technique.
“With so many people reporting symptoms, this indicates that they may have unknowingly fallen into bad habits, which is why it’s so important to have your asthma inhaler technique checked regularly by a health professional,” Dr Weekes said.
The survey also showed that only 18% of adults diagnosed with asthma have an action plan that was written by a doctor.
To find out more call 1800 ASTHMA (1800278462). A range of easy to read and understand asthma resources can be found at www.asthmaaustralia.org.au
* Online survey by Galaxy Research of 1,151 adults who have been diagnosed with asthma, undertaken for NPS MedicineWise in July 2014.
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