Inhalation therapy is administered to asthmatic patients in order to control symptoms and attacks by relieving airway obstruction. The effectiveness of this treatment depends on the correct use of inhalation devices as much as on pharmacological agents. Many asthmatic children receive no standard training in device use during intensive clinic observation, or else they are unable to apply the verbal instructions they receive. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of standardized visual practical training on asthma control. Sixty children aged 1-15 who were under observation for infant wheezing or asthma and using nebulizers were included in the study. At the beginning of the study, patient’s and parents’ ages, occupation, education level, age at diagnosis, symptoms over the previous three months and disease severity were recorded. The child or mother’s nebulizer use skills were assessed on a scale before and after training. In addition, asthma control levels were determined at the start of the study and one month after training using a symptom score and asthma control questionnaire (ACQ). Seven patients (11.7%) were being monitored for asthma and 53 (88.3%) for infant wheezing. The nebulizer use score was 5.4 before training and rose to 7.8 afterward (p<0.001). An increase was observed in the number of correct admininstrations in all six steps assessing device use skills after training. The asthma symptom score was 7.54 before training and 0.78 one month after training (p<0.001). A significant decrease was observed in the ACQ results after instruction in nebulizer device usage (2.1 and 0.1, respectively; p<0.001). Our study revealed that there were errors of device usage in children using nebulizers and diagnosed with asthma or infant wheezing, but that these could be overcome through standardized practical training. In addition, a significant improvement was achieved in respiratory symptom scores and asthma control with training in device usage.

Keywords: <i>astım, hışıltı, nebülizer, uygulamalı eğitim, astım kontrolü.</i>