Quality improvement project assessing the feasibility of using canister weight to estimate remaining doses in a salbutamol pressurised metered-dose inhaler

Pressurised metered-dose inhalers (pMDIs) containing salbutamol are an essential medicine for children with acute asthma. Salamol chlorofluorocarbon-free inhaler (‘Salamol’; IVAX Pharmaceuticals, Waterford, Ireland) is the most widely prescribed salbutamol pMDI in England (figure 1), costing the National Health Service £7.2 million in the 2022–23 financial year.1 In common with the other salbutamol pMDIs it lacks an integrated dose counter (IDC). Without an IDC, most children and families cannot accurately identify when a pMDI is empty.2 Thus, families may continue to use a pMDI that contains no active medicine, posing a safety risk in the event of an asthma attack. Additionally, patients may dispose of a pMDI that still contains medicine, worsening the already large environmental impact of these inhalers.3 Expanding on previous work using Ventolin pMDIs, we aimed to assess the feasibility of families using Salamol canister weight to estimate remaining...
Source: Archives of Disease in Childhood - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: PostScript Source Type: research