Oxygen as a drug and scarce commodity: Do we use it rationally?

Abstract

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.