Pharmacists Are Health Care Providers Too

In a recent article, entitled "Metered-Dose Inhalers: Do Health Care Providers Know What to Teach?," Interiano and Guntupalli¹ evaluated the correct use of metered-dose inhalers (MDIs) by patients, physicians, respiratory care practitioners, and nurses. The authors concluded that a significant proportion of health care providers (ie, internal medicine physicians, pulmonary fellows, nurses, and respiratory therapists) who interact directly with asthma patients were inadequately trained concerning MDIs. Guidry et al² published a similar study in 1992. In both studies, pharmacists were absent from the list of health care providers. Pharmacists are another significant health care provider with adequate training on patient counseling and use of MDIs.

The responsibility of educating patients on the proper use of MDIs may be placed on other health care professionals (ie, pharmacists, nurses, and respiratory therapists). Guidry et al² believed that respiratory therapists or registered nurses would have a prominent role. Actually, pharmacists