TAYLA SWALES
New data released reveals that nine out of ten asthmatics around Australia are using their inhalers wrong.
One in every ten Australians suffers from asthma, that’s 2.3 Million people using inhalers.
Suffers most likely to misuse their inhalers have been identified as children, elderly and people using multiple inhalers.
There are currently ten different types of inhalers on the Australian market, all with different instructions on correct use.
Studies show that incorrect technique while using inhalers increases a suffer’s chance of a dangerous attack by 50%.
Australian hospitals see over 40,000 asthma related cases each year and almost 400 deaths.
Speaking to Channel 7, Associate Professor Sinthia Bosnic-Anticevich of the National Asthma Council said while suffers may believe they are using inhalers correctly, they should check with their doctor.
“Most people think that theyre using their inhalers correctly, because they’ve been using them for a long time but we know that, that’s actually not the case” she said.
“If patients have poor technique that means that the dose they are taking every day is less than what we think it should be”
The largest mistakes suffers can make while using inhalers include pointing the puffer towards the top of the mouth, breathing too early or breathing too quickly.
Puffer user Sarah Winyard says doctors don’t give users enough information about using a puffer.
“The doctor breifly explained how to use it, but it was demostraited to me by the chemist. She had a tester and just showed me how. I hadn’t really used one before and the I didn’t really feel comfortable using it after just a quick demonstration.”
For the correct infomation on how to use an aslthma puffer, visit the Asthlma Australia website or consult your doctor.