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Patients with asthma and severe allergies are often not taught how to use their medical devices properly, charities have warned.
Asthma UK said in some cases poor technique led to people being put on stronger inhalers than they actually needed.
And studies by Allergy UK suggest people struggle with instructions on auto-injectors in allergy emergencies.
The charities are calling for better training for patients and NHS staff.
The warning comes after a separate US study revealed only 16% of those prescribed adrenalin auto-injectors in case of a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction used them properly.
Common errors included not holding the device in place for at least 10 seconds and not pushing down forcefully enough with the needle to allow the adrenalin in.
In the same study, only 7% of asthma sufferers were found to use asthma inhalers in the right way, researchers reported in Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-30556329
Asthma UK said in some cases poor technique led to people being put on stronger inhalers than they actually needed.
And studies by Allergy UK suggest people struggle with instructions on auto-injectors in allergy emergencies.
The charities are calling for better training for patients and NHS staff.
The warning comes after a separate US study revealed only 16% of those prescribed adrenalin auto-injectors in case of a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction used them properly.
Common errors included not holding the device in place for at least 10 seconds and not pushing down forcefully enough with the needle to allow the adrenalin in.
In the same study, only 7% of asthma sufferers were found to use asthma inhalers in the right way, researchers reported in Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-30556329