Assessment of videos about the inhalation technique for childhood asthma: educational or mediatic?

Abstract

Videos related to asthma inhalingtechnique are popularon YouTube, but their quality is concerning. In this study, we aimed to assess videos demonstrating the inhalingtechnique of the pressurized metered dose inhaler, attached to the spacer, for children and adolescents with asthma, according to the guidelines of the Global Initiative for Asthma. We conducted an exploratory study, on11 July 2017 using the terms “inaladorpressurizado”and “aerossoldosimetrado”.Three independent nurses experienced in the field assessed the videos regarding content inclusion, production, andusers. Within the 492 videos found, six met the eligibility criteria. The highlight point was the incorrect demonstration of the inhalation technique in all videos and the inadequatescoring fortechnique and content assessments. Our study findings show that videos are not reliable neither compatible with asthma guidelines and, therefore, they should not be recommendedfor educational purposes.