Effect of inhaler medication adherence on quality of life among asthmatic patients in Erbil City

Background and objective: Asthma is the most common health problem that impaired a patient’s quality of life (QoL). Metered dose inhaler is a key route for improving asthma control and quality of life, the objective of this study was to assess asthma inhaler medication adherence and its effect on the quality of life of asthmatic patients. Methods: A cross-sectional study was employed at Rizgary and Hawler Teaching Hospital in Erbil City, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq from March 2021 to November 2022. A non-probability/purposive sampling technique was used to choose 300 asthmatic patients. Data was collected through a questionnaire consist of demographical data, asthma quality of life, metered dose inhaler checklist, and an asthma control test. Chi-square, Mann Whitney u test and binary logistic regression were used to find out the result of the study and P value <0.05 was significant. Results: Out of 300 patients with asthma, 58% were females, the mean age (±SD) was 46.7±9.04 years, 43% used the metered dose inhaler improperly, 61% was uncontrolled asthma and67%reported poor quality of life. The following variables were associated with a poor quality of life: age ≤40 (P = 0.023, OR = 1.95), insufficient family income (P = 0.020, OR= 1.92), duration of disease ≤ 10 years (P = 0008, OR= 2.30), and improper used meter dose inhaler (P = 0001, OR = 3.32) respectively. Conclusion: Appropriate using the inhaler technique is associated with better quality of life in asthmatic patients. Healthcare providers teaching patients with asthma should have the basic skills and knowledge to use metered dose inhalers correctly to reduce readmission and mortality rate. Keywords: Quality of life; Inhaler medication adherence; Asthma control.