Optimizing Home Oxygen Therapy. An Official American Thoracic Society Workshop Report.

More than 1.5 million adults in the United States use supplemental oxygen for a variety of respiratory disorders to improve their quality of life and prolong survival. This document describes recommendations from a multidisciplinary workshop convened at the ATS International Conference in 2017 with the goal of optimizing home oxygen therapy for adults. Ideal supplemental oxygen therapy is patient-specific, provided by a qualified clinician, includes an individualized prescription and therapeutic education program, and offers oxygen systems that are safe, promote mobility, and treat hypoxemia. Recently, patients and clinicians report a growing number of problems with home oxygen in the United States. Oxygen users experience significant functional, mechanical, and financial problems and a lack of education related to their oxygen equipment-problems that impact their quality of life. Health care providers report a lack of readily accessible resources needed to prescribe oxygen systems correctly and efficiently. Patients with certain lung diseases are affected more than others because of physically unmanageable or inadequate portable systems. Analysis is needed to quantify the unintended impact that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Competitive Bidding Program has had on patients receiving supplemental oxygen from durable medical equipment providers. Studies using effectiveness and implementation research designs are needed to develop and evaluate new models for patient education, identify effective ways for stakeholders to interface, determine the economic benefit of having respiratory therapists perform in-home education and follow-up testing, and collaborate with technology companies to improve portable oxygen devices. Generation of additional evidence of the benefit of supplemental oxygen across the spectrum of advanced lung diseases and the development of clinical practice guidelines should both be prioritized.

Patient Perceptions of the Adequacy of Supplemental Oxygen Therapy. Results of the American Thoracic Society Nursing Assembly Oxygen Working Group Survey.

RATIONALE: Pulmonary clinicians and patients anecdotally report barriers to home supplemental oxygen services including inadequate supply, unacceptable portable options, and equipment malfunction. Limited evidence exists to describe or quantify these problems. OBJECTIVES: To describe the frequency and type of problems experienced by supplemental oxygen users in the United States. METHODS: The Patient Supplemental Oxygen Survey, a self-report questionnaire, was posted on the American Thoracic Society Public Advisory Roundtable and patient and health care-affiliated websites. Respondents were invited to complete the questionnaire, using targeted e-mail notifications. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired t tests, and χ2 analysis. RESULTS: In total, 1,926 responses were analyzed. Most respondents reported using oxygen 24 h/d, for 1-5 years, and 31% used high flow with exertion. Oxygen use varied, with only 29% adjusting flow rates based on oximeter readings. The majority (65%) reported not having their oxygen saturation checked when equipment was delivered. Sources of instruction included the delivery person (64%), clinician (8%), and no instruction (10%). Approximately one-third reported feeling "very" or "somewhat" unprepared to operate their equipment. Fifty-one percent of the patients reported oxygen problems, with the most frequent being equipment malfunction, lack of physically manageable portable systems, and lack of portable systems with high flow rates. Most respondents identified multiple problems (average, 3.6 ± 2.3; range, 1-12) in addition to limitations in activities outside the home because of inadequate portable oxygen systems (44%). Patients living in Competitive Bidding Program areas reported oxygen problems more often than those who did not (55% [389] vs. 45% [318]; P = 0.025). Differences in sample characteristics and oxygen problems were noted across diagnostic categories, with younger, dyspneic, high-flow users, and respondents who did not receive oxygen education, relating more oxygen problems. Respondents reporting oxygen problems also experienced increased health care resource utilization. CONCLUSIONS: Supplemental oxygen users experience frequent and varied problems, particularly a lack of access to effective instruction and adequate portable systems. Initiatives by professional and patient organizations are needed to improve patient education, and to promote access to equipment and services tailored to each patient's needs.