Event Title
Project Category
Nursing
Presentation Type
Presentation
Description
We decided to conduct research in an effort to answer our question, “Are spacer devices the most effective treatment option for patients with asthma?”. We recognized that there has been debate about whether or not the standard prescribed metered-dose inhalers effectively administer medication to a patient's lungs due to the need for hand-breath coordination. Therefore, we wanted to discover if attaching spacer devices onto inhalers would deliver medication more thoroughly by eliminating this need as well as the overall effectiveness of this device when compared to other treatment options. We reviewed recent and relevant literature pertaining to this question to determine if spacer devices eliminated the need for hand-breath coordination and we researched other possible benefits of these devices as well as patients’ overall preferences. Additionally, we accounted for the proper way to handle a spacer device to ensure proper medication administration. Lastly, we researched the cost effectiveness of spacer devices in hospital settings by comparing hospital admission and readmission rates of asthma patients admitted in the emergency department (ED) and their chosen treatment plan. Our research concluded that the spacer device delivers medication in the most effective way when compared to other inhalation medication methods such as the standard metered dose inhaler, the dry powder inhaler, and the nebulizer machine. The spacer allows for the medication to slowly fill the spacer device which allows more time for complete inhalation. This enables the medication to be inhaled directly into the lungs, as opposed to sitting in the oral cavity and causing adverse reactions such as thrush.
Summary PDF
Included in
NURS 230: The Effectiveness of Space Devices
We decided to conduct research in an effort to answer our question, “Are spacer devices the most effective treatment option for patients with asthma?”. We recognized that there has been debate about whether or not the standard prescribed metered-dose inhalers effectively administer medication to a patient's lungs due to the need for hand-breath coordination. Therefore, we wanted to discover if attaching spacer devices onto inhalers would deliver medication more thoroughly by eliminating this need as well as the overall effectiveness of this device when compared to other treatment options. We reviewed recent and relevant literature pertaining to this question to determine if spacer devices eliminated the need for hand-breath coordination and we researched other possible benefits of these devices as well as patients’ overall preferences. Additionally, we accounted for the proper way to handle a spacer device to ensure proper medication administration. Lastly, we researched the cost effectiveness of spacer devices in hospital settings by comparing hospital admission and readmission rates of asthma patients admitted in the emergency department (ED) and their chosen treatment plan. Our research concluded that the spacer device delivers medication in the most effective way when compared to other inhalation medication methods such as the standard metered dose inhaler, the dry powder inhaler, and the nebulizer machine. The spacer allows for the medication to slowly fill the spacer device which allows more time for complete inhalation. This enables the medication to be inhaled directly into the lungs, as opposed to sitting in the oral cavity and causing adverse reactions such as thrush.
