| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
Guest Access | Sign In via User Name/Password
|
|
|
|||||||
Guest Access | Sign In via User Name/Password |
|||||||||
* From the Departments of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Dr. Guyatt and Ms. Austin) and Medicine (Mr. Weaver), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario; the Department of Medicine (Dr. McKim and Ms. Norgren), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario; and the Department of Medicine (Dr. Goldstein and Mr. Bryan), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Correspondence to: Roger S. Goldstein, MD, FCCP, Division of Respiratory Medicine, West Park Hospital, 82 Buttonwood Ave, Toronto, Ontario M6M 2J5, Canada;
Objective: Almost every country in the developed world has a domiciliary oxygen program. Whether recipients meet program criteria has not been rigorously studied.
Design: Cross-sectional survey.
Participants: Two hundred thirty-seven patients receiving domiciliary oxygen in the Ontario Ministry of Health Home Oxygen Program (HOP).
Methods: A respiratory therapist visited the patients’ homes and administered questionnaires, obtained resting arterial blood gas measurements, and conducted a standardized home exercise test while monitoring oxygen saturation using an oximeter.
Measures of outcome: We evaluated the extent to which patients met HOP criteria that are based on the inclusion criteria of randomized trials showing the life-prolonging effects of domiciliary oxygen. We also assessed the extent to which the patients’ oxygen prescription was consistent with the results of rest and exercise testing.
Results:
Ninety-six of 237 participants (40.5%; 95% confidence interval, 34.3
to 46.8) did not meet criteria for home oxygen. Patients aged 
70
years were more likely to meet criteria (71 of 105 patients; 67.9%)
than those > 70 years old (70 of 132 patients; 53.0%). The
proportion of patients meeting criteria was similar whether the
referring physician was a specialist (71 of 112 patients; 62.5%) or a
primary-care physician (69 of 123 patients; 56.1%). A very important
health benefit from oxygen was identified among 82% of those who met
criteria and 88% of those who did not. Patients received higher flow
rates than our criteria suggested were appropriate. Agreement between
the independently assessed oxygen prescription at rest and the
patients’ report of oxygen use was extremely poor (chance-corrected
agreement [
], 0.17), as was agreement concerning optimal exercise
flow rates (, 0.26).
Conclusions: Current procedures for administration and reimbursement of home oxygen result in a large proportion of recipients not meeting criteria, as well as the prescription of excessive oxygen flow rates. These results are likely to apply to many jurisdictions and suggest a large potential for more efficient resource allocation.
Key Words: audit • home assessment • long-term oxygen
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  Y Lacasse, J LaForge, and F Maltais Got a match? Home oxygen therapy in current smokers Thorax, May 1, 2006; 61(5): 374 - 375. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 Y. Lacasse and F. Maltais From the authors Eur. Respir. J., October 1, 2005; 26(4): 747 - 747. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 D Gorecka Liquid oxygen, is it the gold standard? Chronic Respiratory Disease, October 1, 2005; 2(4): 181 - 182. [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 G. H. Guyatt, M. Nonoyama, C. Lacchetti, R. Goeree, D. McKim, D. Heels-Ansdell, and R. Goldstein A Randomized Trial of Strategies for Assessing Eligibility for Long-Term Domiciliary Oxygen Therapy Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., September 1, 2005; 172(5): 573 - 580. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 J. C. Chaney, K. Jones, K. Grathwohl, and K. N. Olivier Implementation of an Oxygen Therapy Clinic to Manage Users of Long-term Oxygen Therapy Chest, November 1, 2002; 122(5): 1661 - 1667. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
A. Gershon, C. K. N. Chan, and G. Guyatt Home Oxygen Requalification Chest, July 1, 2001; 120(1): 318 - 319. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
