‘Inhaled meds more effective but patients fail to use it correctly’

“They deliver drugs directly to the lungs and hence act faster at a lower dose, thereby reducing the risk of side effects. Inhaled medications have been shown to improve disease status, control symptoms, reduce the number and severity of exacerbations and improve quality of life,” said consultant pulmonologist Dr Prasanna Kumar Thomas, explaining how inhaled medicines are integral to the management of respiratory diseases like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). 

However, it is important for the patients suffering from such chronic diseases to know how to use inhalers. Hospitals too fail to realise the importance of inhaler counsellors to advice those asked to use inhalers. “When I visited a private hospital in the city for the first time, I was prescribed bronchodilators. With no knowledge on how to use it, I had to watch YouTube videos to learn how to use it,” said Karthika M, who was diagnosed with COPD a few years ago. 

Understandably, her condition saw no improvement, until she met a counsellor at Christian medical College, Vellore, and learnt how to use the inhalers correctly. “They showed me how to use it and made me do so in front of them to ensure I was doing it right,” she added.