Adherence to Long-Term Oxygen Therapy. Influence of Tobacco Use

Abstract Introduction Domiciliary oxygen therapy (DOT) is a treatment that requires a high level of cooperation from patients due to the time it takes every day. A high level of non-compliance has been determined among patients receiving DOT. The aim of our study was to assess the level of non-compliance and the influence of active tobacco consumption on compliance. Material and methods Patients were monitored in the home using direct and indirect methods, to assess both compliance and tobacco consumption. Results The level of non-compliance detected by indirect methods was 22.6%, and 66.3% by direct methods. Tobacco consumption determined by indirect methods was 5.8%–8%, depending on the method used, and 16.2% when CO in exhaled air ≥10 ppm was established as an indicator of tobacco use. The group of smokers complied with oxygen therapy for a significantly fewer number of hours per day ( P Conclusions There is a high level of therapeutic non-compliance and a significant percentage of patients receiving DOT continue to smoke. Compliance must be monitored, and the correct use of DOT must be emphasized. Additional efforts should also be made to help smokers with DOT to stop smoking, since continued smoking impacts negatively on therapeutic non-compliance.