Millions of Americans with severe allergies and asthma are prescribed medical devices to help relieve symptoms of the condition, but new research suggests very few people are using these treatments correctly.
The findings suggest many patients do not receive proper training on how to use the devices, even if they think they know how, the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) reported.
"Our study suggests that either people weren't properly trained in how to use these devices, didn't completely understand the instructions even after training, or forgot the instructions over time," said allergist Dr. Rana Bonds, an ACAAI fellow and lead author of the study. "Younger patients and those with prior medical education were more likely to use the auto-injector correctly."
The study showed only 16 percent of patients prescribed epinephrine for severe allergic reactions used their auto-injector properly, and a mere 7 percent of patients with metered-dose inhalers (MDI) for asthma used them in the right way.
The most common mistakes made by epinephrine users was not holding the needle in place for at least 10 seconds after triggering, failure to put the needle-end of the device against the thigh, and failure to press down hard enough to administer the medicine.
The most common mistakes for inhalers were not exhaling before taking a puff of the medicine and not shaking the inhaler before use.
"Clearly there is room for improvement in how we teach patients to use these devices," said allergist Dr. Aasia Ghazi, an ACAAI member, and study author. "We need to consider repeated verbal instructions as well as more effective visual presentations. Improper use of the devices means people's lives are at stake, especially with epinephrine, and there is reduced value in the medicine they're trying to use. Most patients made multiple mistakes and steps were missed. They wouldn't benefit from these potentially life-saving tools if they were in trouble."
The findings were published in a recent edition of the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
