When assisting patients using inhaler treatments, you should:

• Introduce yourself to the patient
• Ask the patient if you can discuss their inhaler treatment with them. Do not ask: “Can you use your inhaler?” It is better to say: “Can you show me how you use your inhalerso we can see if we can improve the amount of medicine getting into your lungs?” Don’t rely on the patient’s assurance that they know how to use their inhaler – most are unaware that their inhaler technique could be improved
• Discuss the inhaler with the patient, explaining what medicine it contains and how it should help their lung condition
• Describe the steps of using the inhaler device (see Table 1 for checklist)
• Demonstrate the optimal inhaler technique to the patient yourself
• Ensure the patient knows how to keep their inhaler clean and in good working order, making sure they know how to recognise when their inhaler is empty or nearly empty
• Ask the patient if they have any questions or concerns about their medicine and the steps to optimise delivery of the drug to their lungs. Inhaler technique must be re-checked and education reinforced regularly in order to maintain optimal delivery of the drug.