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Guide to Prescribing Home Oxygen
by Thomas L. Petty, M.D.
Contents
The Key to Prescibing Home Oxygen
Patient Considerations in Selecting Equipment
For educational purposes only.
The Key to Prescribing Home Oxygen
Know Your Patient. Know Your Options.
There
are many things to consider when prescribing long-term oxygen therapy
(LTOT). No one oxygen delivery system is right for every patient. However,
if you know your patient and are familiar with the oxygen equipment options
available, you have the keys to prescribing the best LTOT system for each
situation. It's my goal to provide you with the information you need to
make decisions about home oxygen. Prescriptions and dosages, equipment
selection, reimbursement issues and home care provider issues are all
addressed in this booklet. My thanks to the people at Mallinckrodt Inc.
for their support and assistance in putting together the information.
Know Your Patient
Matching the right oxygen modality to your patient begins with understanding your patients' lifestyles - where they go, what kinds of activities they want to participate in, the oxygen dosage prescribed. Highly active patients require highly portable systems. Patients who mostly stay at home need different equipment. Get to know your patients and their needs and you'll have the key to choosing the right LTOT equipment.
Know Your Options
There are many types of home oxygen equipment, designed to meet different needs - for ambulation, dosage delivery and other variables. Not every system can deliver every prescription. Many do not allow patients to easily move around outside the home. It is, therefore, important to become familiar with your choices and discuss those choices with your patient. Use this booklet as a guide when choosing an oxygen modality.
The benefits of long-term oxygen therapy have long been proven, and prescribing the proper equipment is critical to ensuring that your patients receive those benefits. I invite you to study this material and use it so that every COPD patient can benefit from home oxygen.