Asthma how-to

Return to Index Step 1: Taking Control of Your Asthma Step 2: What is Asthma?Step 3: Know the Signs Step 4: How Asthma Is Diagnosed Step 5: The Levels of Severity Step 6: Determine Your Goals and Expectations Step 7: Asthma Drugs Step 8: Drug Delivery Devices Step 9: Understand Your Action Plan Step 10: Make "Peak Flow" a Habit!Step 11: Avoid Asthma Triggers Step 12: Visit Your Doctor Regularly Key Points Glossary

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Asthma how-to

An important part of controlling asthma is learning the skills for administering your medicines correctly. These skills help ensure you get as much medicine as possible into your lungs, and can help reduce side effects. It is also important to learn how to use a peak flow meter for monitoring how well your asthma is under control.

Below, you will find visual step-by-step presentations to help you develop these skills, as well as "text only" versions that are easier to print. Note: Dry Powder Inhalers are usually activated by inhaling, not by a propellant. Therefore, they don't require the coordination between breathing and squeezing as needed for metered dose inhalers. Each device comes with its own instruction guide.

Step-by-step presentations


metered dose inhalers	nebulizers	peak flow meters	spacers

Text-only instructions

How to use an inhaler

How to use a nebulizer

How to use a peak flow meter

How to use a spacer

Review Date: 6/29/2012
Reviewed By: Allen J. Blaivas, DO, Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine UMDNJ-NJMS, Attending Physician in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Department of Veteran Affairs, VA New Jersey Health Care System, East Orange, NJ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Previoulsy reviewed by David A. Kaufman, MD, Section Chief, Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Bridgeport Hospital-Yale New Haven Health System, and Assistant Clinical Professor, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. (6/1/2010)

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