Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine if hospitalized geriatric patients could correctly use a metered dose inhaler plus spacer (MDI-spacer) after a brief description and demonstration of proper use by a pharmacist. Twenty-three geriatric patients admitted to a university hospital were evaluated. Patients were asked to use the MDI-spacer (Aerochamber) and were scored using a 9-point checklist (pretest). Educational intervention by the pharmacist consisted of a 5-minute discussion and correct demonstration of the device. Patients were then asked to use the device again (post-test). The overall score improved from 60.4% to 88.9% after patient education (p = 0.0001), with exhaling slowly (step 4), inhaling slowly over 4 to 5 seconds (step 7), and holding breath for at least 4 seconds (step 8) showing the largest improvement, and five of nine steps having significant improvement. For the overall score, there were no differences between genders in this group of geriatric patients, including pretest and post-test. A pharmacist was an effective patient educator for this group of hospitalized geriatric patients.
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