Assessing Attitudes and Perceptions of Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients towards Inhaler Therapy in a Low Income Country: A Cross Sectional Study

Chronic respiratory diseases (CRD) like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. A patient's perception, about his or her medicine, may have an impact on adherence to medications. The purpose was to assess the attitudes and perceptions, regarding inhaler therapy use, among patients with obstructive pulmonary disease in Pakistan, a developing country. With a questionnaire developing this cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Medicine's outpatient clinic at Civil Hospital, Karachi from October 2013 to January 2014. We used SPSS version 19 for data entry. The number of patients included in the study was 202. Fifty eight percent (58%) of the patients concurred that they were not compliant with the usage of inhalers and frequently missed their doses. Thirty three percent (33%) patients had the misconception that inhalers are prescribed for severe diseases only. Almost forty percent (40%) patients said that they would prefer oral medicines over inhalers for the management of their lung diseases. Sixteen percent (16%) of the patients had problems using their inhalers. Twenty six percent (26%) of the patients believed that inhalers have side effects. Thirty eight percent (38%) of the patients believed inhalers are addictive. Misconceptions regarding inhalers and its usage in asthma and COPD patients are common in Pakistan. These misconceptions not only lead to poor compliance with medications prescribed but also to frequent visits to hospitals. There is a need to educate patients in the country regarding inhalers in order to improve not only their symptoms, but also to improve their quality of life.