Short-burst Domiciliary oxygen therapy: a patients' perspective

Short-burst domiciliary oxygen therapy is prescribed for symptomatic relief of breathlessness in patients with many respiratory disorders. 52 patients (54% male;median age 72yrs) prescribed domiciliary short burst oxygen therapy were interviewed by means of a questionnaire. The underlying diagnoses was COPD in 67%(35/52) cases, Interstitial Lung Disease 13%(7/52), Ca.Bronchus (8%,4/52), Asthma (8%,4/52), Bronchiectasis (2%,1/52) and 1 patient with no definitive diagnosis. 44% (23/52) of patients estimated their exercise tolerance as10 yards, 23%(12/52) 20 yards, 25%(13/52) up to 50 yards and 8%(4/52) up to 100 yards. The time spent using oxygen therapy each day was less than 15 minutes in 29%(15/52), up to one hour in 42%(22/52), up to 4 hours in 15%(8/52), and 6 hours or more in 13%(7/52). 45(87%) patients reported symptomatic benefit of the oxygen therapy, 33%(17/52) of patients reporting "I could not manage without it", 6%(3/52) that therapy helped "A tremendous amount" and 48%(25/52) reported it had helped "Quite a lot". However 13%(7/52) felt it had helped "Very little" or "Not at all". Thirty-nine patients(75%) believed that oxygen therapy had helped prevent emergency hospital admission and 25%(13/52) of the sample had no admissions to hospital over the last one year. However 56%(29/52) had been admitted up to 5 times and 19%(10/52) had more than 5 admissions in the last one year. The results of this study show that large numbers of patients report symptomatic benefit from short burst oxygen therapy with the majority suggesting it prevented emergency hospital admission. However, further studies are needed to determine whether this perceived benefit is indeed real and whether it translates into improved clinical outcomes.