Chapter 16- Administration of an MDI

Question 1

Administering an MDI

Answer 1

1. Follow standard precautions.
2. Obtain an order from medical control or local protocol.
3. Check that you have the right medication, right patient, right dose, and right route and that the medication is not expired.
4. Make sure that the patient is alert enough to use the inhaler.
5. Check whether the patient has already taken any doses.
6. Make sure the inhaler is at room temperature or warmer (Step 1).
7. Shake the inhaler vigorously several times.
8. Stop administering supplemental oxygen, and remove any mask from the patient’s face.
9. Ask the patient to exhale deeply and, before inhaling, to put his or her lips around the opening of the inhaler (Step 2).
10. Have the patient depress the hand-held inhaler as he or she begins to inhale deeply.
11. Instruct the patient to hold his or her breath for as long as is comfortable to help the body absorb the medication (Step 3).
12. If a spacer is used, the patient may need to take several breaths from the mouthpiece, without depressing the inhaler again, to get the full initial dose of the medication.
13. Continue to administer supplemental oxygen (replace the oxygen
14. Allow the patient to breathe a few times, then repeat a second dose per direction from medical control or local protocol (Step 4).