Nurses Lack of Knowledge On Inhaler Devices In China: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: To know the knowledge on inhaler devices in medical staff, this study surveyed knowledge of inhaled therapy and the use of inhaler devices in nurses in China. Methods: : 1831 nurses were selected to survey on a new self-designed questionnaire online. The questionnaire has 11 questions, including the storage location of the inhaler devices, steps of using the inhaler device, and the common errors when using various devices, etc. Results: : Among the 1831 participants, 816(44.57%), 122(6.66%) and 893(48.77%) nurses worked in community hospital, secondary hospital and tertiary hospital respectively. Adequate knowledge of inhaler devices was demonstrated by nurses working in community hospital(20.10%)、Secondary hospital(8.2%) and Tertiary hospital(13.1%). 27.70% nurses in community hospital knew operational key points in using inhaler compared to in secondary hospital (15.57%) and tertiary hospital (23.18%) P<0.01. Only 9.5%-26.00% of participants chosen correct answers about the ten questions about the use of inhaler. Question six (Which of the following is the wrong option when using Ellpta?) was the one with the highest percentage of correct answers (26.00%). The question with lowest rate of correct answers (9.50%) was question 3 (What are the main points that need to be followed when using DPI?). The most people of correct answers number is Ellpta(26.00%) and the least is Respimat(10.32%). Conclusion: The focus on community hospitals has some results in China. However, knowledge on inhaler devices should be continued to strengthen among nurses in hospital. It is necessary to create training opportunities for nurses to increase their awareness and knowledge of chronic respiratory diseases management.