Abstract

Asthma is a common, complex and multifactorial respiratory condition affecting a significant number of children within the UK. Recent department of health reports and national guidance has highlighted that healthcare professionals have a poor understanding of asthma treatments and are failing to provide patients with basic care. This article aims to explore some of the reasons why the use of inhalers is inadequate and discusses the research surrounding the reported knowledge of healthcare professionals’ ability to counsel on inhaler devices. We hope the article will help clinicians explore their understanding of how to administer commonly prescribed inhaler devices, provide useful general and simple steps for inhaler counselling and act as a prompt to review personal competence and confidence in counselling on inhaler devices.