2012 OPEN FORUM Abstracts
EDUCATIONAL INTEVENTION TO IMPROVE MDI AND DPI PROFICIENCY AMONG RESPIRATORY THERAPISTS.
Angela M. Austin, Thomas D. Jones; UAMS, Little Rock, AR
BACKGROUND: At a rural hospital, I noticed frequent readmissions, improper frequency of medication and duplication of medication. At the bedside there was improper inhaler technique. This observation led me to believe there is a need for education of proper inhaler technique. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the overall knowledge of MDI and DPI techniques among respiratory therapists in a rural community hospital using a single, on-line, self-directed educational session. METHODS: A heterogonous group of twelve credentialed practitioners were given a pre-test and post-test related to MDI and DPI techniques. Each participant was given a unique identifier for anonymous data analysis, with each practitioner servicing as his/her own control. After taking a pre-test with open-ended questions, each practitioner was directed to review a brief, on-line, multi-media educational presentation. After two weeks, the participants were re-tested with the same open-ended questions to analyze their retention of knowledge. There was 100% participation in the pre- and post-test process. The data was collected and analyzed using McNemar and Chi-Square tests with an Alpha of 0.05. RESULTS: The comparison of scores on the paired samples statistics indicates significant improvement in mean scores: MDI (23%) and DPI (43%). All practitioners showed improvement in retention on post-test scores. The three key steps for MDI technique that demonstrated the greatest improvement were: mouth seal, breath hold and wait between actuations. The four key steps for DPI technique that demonstrated the greatest improvement were: exhale away from the mouthpiece, hear capsule vibrate, breath hold and exhale away from the mouthpiece. CONCLUSIONS: The data analysis suggests credentialed respiratory therapists in a rural community hospital lack proper MDI and DPI techniques. A single, on-line, self-directed educational session demonstrating proper MDI and DPI technique is useful in improving MDI and DPI post-test scores. Annual proficiency testing using the on-line tool could be beneficial in retention of knowledge of proper MDI and DPI techniques and positively affect patient outcomes. Sponsored Research - None