title: [Quality of initial prescription of home oxygen therapy in a healthcare area of the Murcia Region (Spain)].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyse the quality of the prescription of home oxygen therapy (OT) in a health area of Murcia.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective study of 125 patients in a respiratory therapy clinic, evaluated with a questionnaire and blood-gas analysis while breathing ambient air. Related respiratory therapy was also assessedin COPD and asthma patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We studied 125 cases in the 3 months following the prescription of home oxygen therapy in 72 men (58%) and 53 women (42%) with a mean age of 77.2 ± 11.6. The most common type of home OT prescribed was for palliative cases in 45 patients (36%), followed by COPD in 42 (33.6%). In 88 (92%) of the 96 medical reports that we evaluated, insufficient data as to how to administer oxygen were available. Twenty-five percent of home OT prescriptions were given without blood-gas analyses, and in the 65 cases with a blood-gas analysis only 11 (17%) met oxygen value criteria for home OT as per regulations. Oxygen desaturation was not present in 31% of the palliative care home OT cases. The analysis of blood-gases during the clinic visit in non-palliative care cases demonstrated that 61% did not meet the blood-gas criteria to continue on home OT. Eighty percent of COPD and asthma patients on home OT did not receive the correct respiratory therapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Quality problems in the prescription of home OT exist in our area. Palliative care is the principal reason for home OT prescriptions. In COPD and asthma patients who receive home OT, related respiratory therapy is not ideal.
authors.affiliation: Servicios de Neumología y Cuidados Intensivos, Hospital Universitario Morales Meseguer, Murcia, España. rbernabeumora@hotmail.com
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bernabeu Mora
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Sánchez Nieto
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carrillo Alcaraz
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001249:Asthma / Q000097:blood / Q000628:therapy; D001785:Blood Gas Monitoring, Transcutaneous / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000628:therapy; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000628:therapy; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010102:Oxygen Inhalation Therapy / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010166:Palliative Care; D010313:Partial Pressure; D018579:Patient Selection; D055656:Prescriptions / Q000592:standards*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000097:blood / Q000628:therapy; D013030:Spain; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen