Inhaler therapy. What it means for children with asthma.

OBJECTIVE To investigate what inhaler therapy means for children with asthma and to identify problems and concerns children experience with inhalers.

DESIGN Qualitative research design.

SETTING A community-based family practice in rural Newfoundland.

PARTICIPANTS Seventeen children, aged 5 to 16, who had been diagnosed with mild or moderate asthma and were being prescribed inhaled steroids or bronchodilators.

METHOD Two in-depth interviews with each of a purposive sample of participants were analyzed by the selective or highlighting approach.

MAIN FINDINGS Common positive themes were identified: inhalers were easy to use, and medication was necessary for good quality of life. Common negative themes were simply forgetting, inconvenient and annoying, only-as-needed approach, medication does not work well anyway, and side effects.

CONCLUSION Inhaler therapy had both positive and negative meaning for children. Although inhaled medications were seen as very important for good quality of life when taken regularly, most children wanted to use them only as needed for symptom control. Children knew the importance of inhaler therapy but still complied poorly.