Training people for inhalation therapy in rehabilitation program

Abstract

Introduction: The constant development of therapies associated with different inhalation devices, driven by the need to meet the requirements of people with respiratory conditions, positions the inhalation route as the first treatment option. The Specialist Nurse in Rehabilitation Nursing (SNRN) plays a crucial role in prevention, health education, treatment, and rehabilitation, thereby enhancing the individual’s capabilities in the context of inhalation technique.

Objective: Evaluate the effectiveness of teaching sessions on the inhalation therapy technique. Methodology: A sample of 67 individuals with prescribed inhalation therapy and enrolled in a respiratory rehabilitation program at hospital from February to December 2019 was studied, application the corresponding checklist for the prescribed inhaled device during hospitalization and at home was applied.

Results: An average of 3.18 health education sessions per person was conducted, demonstrating effectiveness in reducing errors when compared to the number of errors at the beginning of hospitalization. The most frequent errors listed in the respective checklist for pMDI include numbers 5 (decreased from 93.8% to 17.2%), 9 (85.9% to 12.5%), 10 (85.9% to 12.5%), and 11 (85.9% to 29.7%); DPI for numbers 7 (70.6% to 23.5%) and 8 (79.4% to 5.9%); Soft Mist for number 3 (92.3% to 23.1%).

Conclusion: This study confirms the improvement in individual’s ability to correctly use inhalation devices after teaching sessions conducted by the SNRN.