M. Branco Ferreira, A. Santos, M.H. Clode, A.G. Palma Carlos Authors' af®liations: M. Branco Ferreira, A. Santos, M.H. Clode, A.G. Palma Carlos, Immunoallergology Unit, Hospital Santa Maria, Lisbon, Portugal Correspondence to: Manuel Branco Ferreira Immunoallergology Unit Servic Ëo de Medicina 3 Hospital de Santa Maria 1699 Lisbon Portugal Date: Accepted for publication 18 September 1998 To cite this article: Branco Ferreira M., Santos A., Clode M.H. & Palma Carlos A.G. Turbutest @ in the training of asthmatic Turbuhaler @ users. Allergy 1999, 54, 375±379. Copyright # Munksgaard 1999 ISSN 0105-4538 Short communication Turbutest @ in the training of asthmatic Turbuhaler @ users Asthma is a chronic in¯ammatory disease for which inhaled corticosteroids are the mainstay of most therapeutic schedules. Recent consensus reports include inhaled ster- oids as ®rst-line therapy, even in mild persistent bronchial asthma, due to their ef®cacy and safety pro®le. However, the effect of any inhaled drug depends not only on the Key words: asthma; compliance; inhalers; therapy. Background: Correct utilization of inhalation devices is a key factor in asthma management. Objective assessment of the ability to use inhaler devices is therefore fundamental. Methods: The objective was to assess objectively the inhalation technique of Turbuhaler @ users who reported having no dif®culty in using such a device. A total of 600 asthmatic patients of our allergology outpatient department, daily users of Turbuhaler devices, were evaluated with Turbutest @ . This is a simple portable apparatus which connects a Turbuhaler inhaler with an electronic device to allow semiquantitative assessment of inhalation technique, with a score ranging from 0 (worst) to 3 (best), readily visualized on the apparatus. Patients were allowed to practice with Turbutest, assisted by an allergologist, until they improved their scores. A second Turbutest assessment was performed at a 2-month follow-up visit. Results: On the ®rst assessment, one-third of the patients had scores inadequate to allow a good inhalation, and only 20% achieved a score of 3. On the second assessment, signi®cantly higher Turbutest scores were observed. Conclusions: Turbutest is a valuable tool in asthmatic patients' training, allowing identi®cation and improvement of an inadequate inhalation technique with Turbuhaler. 375