Source: Annual Congress 2004 - Emphysema and oxygen therapy
Disease area: Airway diseases

Abstract

Rationale: Oxygen (O₂) is a commonly prescribed drug in hospitals. There are specific guidelines for O₂ prescription in Solihull Hospital, a District General Hospital in UK. This audit was undertaken to determine how these guidelines are followed. Methods: All patients receiving O₂ therapy on the medical wards over one week were audited. Following points about O₂ treatment were looked at: 1)If prescribed on the treatment chart and on the regular side 2) Instructions regarding minimum O₂ saturations 3) mode of delivery, flow rate and concentration 4) Recording of O₂ saturations 5)Arterial blood gases (ABG) for COPD patients 6) For patients on nebulised therapy, delivery gas and flow rate 7) If the prescribed O₂ was checked and signed for by the nursing staff.
Results: A total of 157 patients were on O₂ and included in the study. 1) 65% of patients had O₂ prescribed on the treatment chart and 86% of them on the regular side 2) 17% had special instructions 3) 50% each had O₂ delivered by nasal cannulae and facemask 4) Flow rate was stated in all, concentration in 50% 5) O₂ saturations were monitored in 88% 6) 91% of COPD patients had ABG measured. 7) 3% patients on nebulised treatment had delivery gas and flow rate prescribed. 8) 55% prescriptions were checked and signed for.
Conclusions: This audit highlights that hospital guidelines are not rigorously followed for O₂ prescribing. We are working at increasing awareness in medical and nursing staff and intend to repeat the audit later to assess our progress.
Reference: Birmingham Heartlands & Solihull Hospitals Clinical Guidelines, 2002

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Citations should be made in the following way:
D. Gill, A. Mishra, A. Mohammed, J. Mukherjee (Solihull, United Kingdom). Audit on oxygen prescribing in medical wards: are we meeting hospital guidelines?. Eur Respir J 2004; 24: Suppl. 48, 1512

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