As someone who has handed out lots of meds to kids from working at camp, the misuse that I have seen from dosing devices is ridiculous.  Child: "My Mom says that I have to blow my nose right after I use my nose spray."

Umm...have you ever wondered why it doesn't work?

I wonder about this, because when I was asked a couple years ago (when I was 30) by my allergist to demonstrate the epi, I did but I did so lackadaisically ( ) and just took it off my thigh and didn't count to 10 because I'm an old hat at it and it wasn't for real. She was like woah woah woah and had me do it again. So I wonder how many people knew how but were just so used to it that they blew off the demonstration.

Every visit, every time, DD is asked by her allergist to demonstrate how to use her injector, how to use her inhaler and of course she does excellent peak meter blows for them.

This has been happening since she was 4!  She is now 15.  Never too old to practice or review. 

The times she has been in the ER the staff are always complimentary on her education and ability and when respiratory is called in they are always impressed with her technique.

 


DD's gotten top marks on her MDI technique (and on her peak-flow meter technique, I must add) from a friend who is also a pulmonologist.    It's worth the effort to get it right-- definitely makes a difference. 

Study Shows Misuse of Prescribed Epinephrine Auto-Injectors
http://blog.foodallergy.org/2015/01/12/study-shows-misuse-of-prescribed-epinephrine-auto-injectors/

Quoteonly 16 percent of people using epinephrine injectors for a severe allergic reaction did so correctly

Quoteonly 7 percent of those using metered-dose inhalers for asthma executed all the steps necessary for maximum impact of the prescribed medicine

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"Misuse of medical devices: a persistent problem in self-management of asthma and allergic disease"
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1081120614007522

Tweeted by @Aller_MD

"Most patients misused epinephrine autoinjectors, metered-dose inhalers"
http://www.healio.com/allergy-immunology/anaphylaxis/news/online/%7B4e06e929-c0ee-4be0-a4ae-d7937a391043%7D/most-patients-misused-epinephrine-autoinjectors-metered-dose-inhalers?utm_content=buffer0ee2f&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

QuoteEighty-four percent of the epinephrine group did not use the autoinjector correctly

QuoteNinety-three percent of MDI users failed to demonstrate "perfect technique,"