Oxygen as a drug and scarce commodity: Do we use it rationally?
South African Family Practice
| Field | Value | |
| Title | Oxygen as a drug and scarce commodity: Do we use it rationally? | |
| Creator | Groenewald, Linda Faber, Lurika Fourie, Jean-Pierre Oosthuizen, Cornelius J. Müller, Miécke van der Westhuizen, Kayla Kapp, Dian D. Swanepoel, Righard Brits, Hanneke | |
| Description | Background: Medical grade oxygen is classified as a drug and needs to be prescribed by a qualified healthcare professional. Oxygen therapy is prescribed to people who cannot maintain normal blood oxygen saturation while breathing atmospheric air. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic highlighted the importance of the rational use of this scarce commodity. This study investigated oxygen therapy practices in adult ward patients.Methods: A cross-sectional study design with an analytical component was used in the adults wards at a National District Hospital and the Pelonomi Academic Hospital in Bloemfontein. Data were collected from patient files, interviews and oxygen measurements of adult patients that received oxygen.Results: One hundred and fifteen patients were included in the study, of whom 47.0% received oxygen without an oxygen prescription. Around 62.3% of the patients with prescriptions did not receive oxygen as prescribed. The prescriptions and oxygen administration for COVID-19 patients were better than for non–COVID-19 patients. A quarter of the patients possibly received oxygen therapy unnecessarily.Conclusion: Poor oxygen therapy practices were identified, including prescription errors, oxygen administration errors and oxygen wastage. A protocol should be developed and implemented for the prescription and administration of oxygen therapy. Training should occur to prevent oxygen wastage.Contribution: This study highlighted poor oxygen practices and prescriptions, as well as oxygen wastage in the absence of local oxygen therapy guidelines. | |
| Publisher | AOSIS | |
| Date | 2022-09-21 | |
| Identifier | 10.4102/safp.v64i1.5544 | |
| Source | South African Family Practice; Vol 64, No 1 (2022): Part 4; 6 pages 2078-6204 2078-6190 | |
| Language | eng | |
| Relation |
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:
https://safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/view/5544/7553
https://safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/view/5544/7554
https://safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/view/5544/7555
https://safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/view/5544/7556
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