Clinical assessment of a new breath-actuated inhaler.

Up to 50 per cent of patients cannot use a conventional metered-dose inhaler (MDI) efficiently and therefore obtain less than optimum benefit. Seventy adults with no previous experience of inhalers were asked to demonstrate their inhaler techniques after reading written instructions for an MDI and for a new breath-actuated inhaler. The breath-actuated inhaler was found to be easier to use and was preferred to the MDI.