Audit of nebuliser use.

The use of nebulisers was assessed in four hospitals. Nebulisers were checked in use and medical and nursing staff were interviewed. All but one nebuliser was driven by 100% oxygen and only 3 of 111 interviewees preferred air for patients with hypercapnia. In 5 of 44 nebulisers in use, water was used as the dilutant. The calculated times for complete nebulisation of the solutions ranged from 3.5 to 117 min. The results of this survey illustrate a need for better education concerning the use of nebulisers in hospitals.