Prescription bias and factors associated with improper use of inhalers.

Many different inhalers are available for delivering aerosol therapy in respiratory medicine. As a consequence, the prescribing physicians may have some difficulty tailoring the most suitable inhaler to each patient. This multicenter, observational study using a self-administered questionnaire analyzed the characteristics of a large sample of patients (n = 1,305; 55% females; mean age 57.

Long-term oxygen therapy in chronic respiratory failure: a Multicenter Italian Study on Oxygen Therapy Adherence (MISOTA).

Background: The adherence to the prescribed oxygen therapy is difficult to obtain for patients on long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT). There is little information on the modalities of oxygen utilisation for patients on LTOT who are using liquid oxygen in real life.

Study Objective: Evaluation of the behaviour and the knowledge regarding LTOT in a large group of patients mainly using liquid oxygen.

Inhalation technique and variables associated with misuse of conventional metered-dose inhalers and newer dry powder inhalers in experienced adults.

Background: Pressurized metered-dose inhalers (pMDIs) are often poorly used, but little information is available concerning use of the newer dry powder inhalers (DPIs).

Objective: To estimate the inhalation technique and variables associated with the misuse of pMDIs and newer DPIs in clinical practice.

Methods: A multicenter, observational survey was used to evaluate the inhalation technique in 1,404 experienced outpatients aged 15 to 88 years affected mostly by asthma (47%) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (39%).