title: A comparison of oxygen administration practices of EMTs and emergency physicians.
abstract: This study examined whether emergency medical technicians (EMTs) withhold oxygen from hypothetical patients whom emergency physicians would treat with high-flow oxygen, particularly chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. A survey describing 12 hypothetical patients was distributed to 33 emergency physicians, 30 newly trained EMTs, and 27 experienced EMTs. For each patient, the respondents were asked to identify the most appropriate prehospital oxygen administration rate as "low flow" or "high flow". Using an alpha value of .05, chi 2 analysis was used to compare the frequency of high-flow oxygen administration for the three groups. Newly trained EMTs were significantly more likely than physicians to administer high-flow oxygen to patients with COPD who were not receiving home oxygen. Otherwise, the oxygen administration practices of EMTs were not inconsistent with those of emergency physicians.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, East Carolina University School of Medicine, Greenville, NC, USA.
authors.forename: L H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Manring
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D004634:Emergency Medical Technicians / Q000193:education; D004635:Emergency Medicine; D005260:Female; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D008173:Lung Diseases, Obstructive / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010100:Oxygen / Q000008:administration & dosage; D010102:Oxygen Inhalation Therapy / Q000379:methods; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen