BMJ 2001;323:49 ( 7 July )

Letters

Elderly people's technique in using dry powder inhalers

    New inhaler devices are rarely used by older people in the community
    Zanamivir and unreason seem to go together

New inhaler devices are rarely used by older people in the community

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR---Diggory et al report on the inhaler technique of older adults using two dry powder devices, the Diskhaler and Turbohaler; they had not used an inhaler before.1 Greater competence was found with the Turbohaler. This device was also shown to be superior in an earlier study when it was compared with a pressurised metered dose inhaler attached to a spacer device.2

Satisfactory inhaler technique is influenced by cognitive function. As more recently developed devices require fewer steps before lung inhalation, and inspiration and actuation may not require simultaneous coordination, theoretical advantages exist for older patients with cognitive impairment.

We have investigated use of different inhaler devices and technique in elderly people living in the community. A stratified random sampling method was used to select 6000 adults aged >= 65 years from 21 general practices in north Bristol. Each subject was sent a respiratory questionnaire in 1997. Altogether 4792 (80%) responded, with 662 indicating . . . [Full text of this article]
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Relevant Article

Comparison of elderly people's technique in using two dry powder inhalers to deliver zanamivir: randomised controlled trial
Paul Diggory, Christophe Fernandez, Amanda Humphrey, Valerie Jones, and Maeve Murphy
BMJ 2001 322: 577. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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