The Effect of Teaching the Use of Inhaler to a Family Caregiver on its Correct Use By the Elderly Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract

Background and Objectives Due to the high rate of inhalers’ incorrect use by the elderly, this study aims to evaluate the effect of teaching the use of inhalers to a family caregiver on its correct use by the elderly patients. Subjects and Methods This is a parallel-group randomized clinical trial on 80 older people with a lung disease aged >60 years who use the inhaler incorrectly and their family caregivers. Participants were randomly assigned to group A (education) and group B (control) using a block randomization method (4×4 blocks). In group A, teaching of the correct use of inhaler was provided to the caregivers of the elderly orally and practically in one session, while in group B, training was provided only to the elderly. Three weeks later, the two groups were evaluated using a researcher-made inhaler use checklist. Results There was no significant difference in the use of inhaler before and after the intervention in group A (2.58±1.26) and B (2.55±1.22) (P<0.05). Pearson correlation test results showed a significant decrease in the correct use of inhaler with the increase of patients’ age (r=-0.24). Conclusion Further studies on the use of family members in elderly patients care, various educational programs by health care providers, and periodic evaluation of the performance of the elderly regarding the use of inhalers are recommended.