Asthma Sufferers and Medication

I’m always a bit leery of surveys that tell me patients aren’t taking their medication. The blame always seems to fall on the patient, rather than doctors who don’t take the time to speak with patients so that they understand what to do to treat their disease. The latest of these studies involves asthma.

The study says that two-thirds of physicians treating asthma believe that less than 50% of their patients take their daily asthma controller. My first question when I heard this was, did the doctor properly explain how to use their controller? Did they do it in detail, and talk about why and how it should be administered.

I say this because I have asthma and years ago I was handed a new asthma inhaler by a doctor who had no time to discuss anything. Have a question? Forget it – schedule another appointment if you want it answered. He handed me a new inhaler, and since I had asthma for quite a while, said, “You know the drill. Call me any questions.”

I did know the drill, but what I didn’t know was that the asthma inhaler was completely different than the one I’d had before. I was not supposed to take more than a single puff at a time on it. The previous inhaler had me puffing twice at once. (Medicines change over time and improve I guess.)
I only found this out from getting sick and going to another doctor, who took two minutes to show me the right way to operate the device. I haven’t had a problem since.

If you’re interested in learning more about this study, it’s available online.

Image: sxc.hu.