Do patients correctly use steroid nose spray? A patient-reported survey of the nasal spray technique and patient compliance

Abstract

Background:Correct nasal spray techniqueand patient compliance are the two mostimportant factors in the use of steroid nose spray. Objectives:To find out if patientsuse steroid nasal spray with a correctspray technique and if they are compliant in using the spray. Design: Patient-reported survey Participants: 100 participants (1 excluded) Main outcome measures 1) Nasal spray technique 2) Patient compliance Results: Out of 99 participants included in this study only one patient used steroid nose spray with a completely correct spray technique. 40% of patients received guidance instructions from the prescriber about the spray technique. 70% of patients reported using their spray regularly and 53% of patients were found using the correct dosage of the spray. Conclusions: Wrong spray technique and patient noncompliance is common and can be corrected. This survey emphasizes the importance of giving written and verbal instructions about the use of spray to the patients.