Metered-dose inhaler for asthma patients: knowledge and effects of a theoretical and practical guidance for pediatricians

ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the effect of a theoretical and practical guidance on knowledge of pediatricians regarding the use of metered dose inhalers with spacers. To identify major deficiencies, correct them and train these physicians on the correct use of the devices. Methods: Pediatricians who participated in a theoretical-practical program focusing on the use of inhaler devices answered a questionnaire with five questions about the use of these devices before and after the program. A comparison of the scores obtained in the pre- and post-training tests was performed by Wilcoxon test for related samples, and a significance level of 0.05 was adopted. Results: Twenty pediatricians performed pre- and post-training tests. The performance of pediatricians in the post-training test was significantly better than baseline (p