Inhaler shared at sports club

[tamabarrel]

Have NC for this.

My child’s reliever inhaler was shared with another child at training (non school) yesterday.

A coach of another squad approached my child’s squad and asked for an inhaler for a member of their squad to use.

The child requiring the inhaler was not having an attack as such, required one puff, was thankfully fine, and was then able to participate. Children involved are early secondary.

I’m concerned about this for several reasons. Surely the coaches have a duty of care to ensure that pupils requiring emergency medication have it with them (obviously the parents and child should have ensured the inhaler was with the child). Lack of asthma training is a concern - looking at club policies, there is no reference to this. Prescribed medication being shared is a concern.

Would you contact the club regarding this?

The issue isnt the forgotten inhaler or even the borrowing of an inhaler in an emergency - the OP hasn’t once said they shouldn’t have used her chicks inhaler. The issue is that the child with no inhaler, and who needed it so urgently they had to borrow someone else’s, was then allowed to take part in a sport activity.

Allowing a child they knew didn’t have an inhaler, and who’d already had an asthma exacerbation, to join in a sport absolutely deserves questioning.

If the coaches are so lacking in asthma knowledge they allowed the child to join in I’d be concerned if they know enough to be sure the inhaler they gave the child was the same as their own one.

That is going to become more relevant as the move away from separate preventer and relievers becomes more common. Not all inhalers are the same.

They come with different types and strengths of medication.

obviously in an emergency anything is better than nothing but they aren’t really interchangeable.

No, but that applies to a random kid's inhaler too.

The club should have an emergency inhaler.

in addition to all the concerns rightly raised, surely there is an infection risk sharing an inhaler

It’s a few years now since I worked with kids and kids clubs but I’ve never had a “spare” inhaler. Always checked with my asthma kids they had theirs before we started/left.

Yes, another team within the club, they regularly train together.

I’d be concerned that they are giving the correct medication, which type of inhaler was it? Salbutamol or forstair? What goes the other child normally have? Are the coaches aware of the dosages etc?

You can often take it apart and wash in hot soapy water

for the person taking the medication, it’s the lesser problem

Yes you can, but the bigger question is did either coach actually do that?

Definitely raise it OP. If they keep letting others use it then it will eventually run out. You will be thinking it's half used but actually it's empty and then what happens when your child really needs it?

The parent can before it’s used again

the person taking it won’t give a shit about germs if they can’t breath

I raised it with the club.

To summarise their response:

• They are investigating the incident
• They are going to reinforce the official sport specific guidance re asthma to coaches / staff
• They will reeducate staff / coaches
• A communication will go out to parents re mediation
• Coaches to check players have medication at the start of training / games
• They will communicate to all there is a ‘no inhaler no play’ rule

Didn’t mean to quote you @JustAnotherWhinger!

That’s a good result :)

Too many people associate common with not dangerous when it comes to asthma.

Christ the poor kids are going to miss out on playing now if they make a mistake! Well done OP, I’m sure that’s the result you wanted.

I don’t know where you are but it’s really hard to get inhalers where I am. I used to be given 2 salbutamol inhalers (ventolin) whenever I needed the prescription. Around 2 years ago when trying to get an inhaler, I was told by the surgery I needed to see the asthma nurse to be given a prescription even though I’d had a review within a year. The asthma nurse stated that they only give 1 inhaler every 3 months now. I said what if I’ve used my inhaler up and something triggers my asthma and I get a bit tight chested and wheezy, she said I’d need to call an ambulance. She didn’t prescribe me one. How ridiculous I was told that in any instance I felt I needed to use the inhaler I’d need to call for an ambulance when if I had an inhaler I could just take a few puffs and I’d be sorted. I did see an actual doctor and was given one but was told I couldn’t get another one for 3 months. When I’d ran out again I had to post on Facebook asking to buy anyone’s spares if they had a supply. Before the cut back I used to always have brand new inhalers sitting in my car or cupboards, I never ever went without. I managed to get one from someone and the most recent one I’ve bought from an online pharmacy as I still have another month to go before I can order through the nhs. My asthma is well controlled too and yet a blue inhaler doesn’t last me 3 months. I always carry it on me in my pocket but there’s also been times I’ve lost the bloody thing because I keep it on me and still I’ve had to go without. Since a toddler there never was any problems acquiring this medication and I was always told to keep one at home and one in the car/work but you can’t even do that anymore.

That’s absolutely awful. It’s hard to believe this is happening.

I'm absolutely not complaining but I've been sent home a few times from athletics club because I've needed my inhaler. It really does no good taking it and then running

It is.

Thank you for the accolade

We used to clean them out with alcohol wipes and air dry when we had patients using inhalers to assess their asthma.

Something like Milton or other sterilisation fluid works too. Oh you take the internal bit out first.

I think you need to bring this to the club's attention. It's not a case of all blue inhalers having the same does of salbutamol.

They need to note down the dose and what it actually is.

They need some sort of asthma policy, the PP who said if you don't have your inhaler you do not do the sport is the most sensible idea.

Which is what should happen. Rather than an irresponsible adult allowing a child with a life threatening breathing condition to exert themselves when they don’t have their inhaler with them.

It’s not. The child was obviously fit to play football. Poor kids.

Exactly. I cannot believe how many people think it’s ok to allow a child with no inhaler, who had to use someone else’s in an emergency, to continue a sport. It’s ridiculous - and very indicative of how irresponsible and/or unknowledgeable people are about asthma.

They weren’t. The child had to use someone else’s inhaler in an emergency.

Allowing them to continue playing without their inhaler was irresponsible and downright dangerous.

Nobody would dream of telling a T1 diabetic kid to just enjoy the cake and sweets if they forgot their insulin. That people treat asthma with such complacency doesn’t make it ok. Asthma kills people.