Prescribing practice for intermittent oxygen therapy: a GP survey

UK figures show that the prescription of home oxygen cylinders for intermittent use is substantial.

To examine GP assessment criteria and prescribing practice for intermittent oxygen therapy in patients with a diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Northern Ireland.

A postal questionnaire was sent to all GPs (n = 534) in two health boards who had prescribed cylinder oxygen in a six month period prior to the study. The questionnaire was piloted to establish reliability and validity.

Completed questionnaires were returned by 52% (280/534) of GPs. GPs 'most frequently' used advice from hospital specialists [82% (230/280)] to determine the need for intermittent oxygen. Criteria such as breathlessness score on exercise (e.g., BORG), oximetry on exercise, local guidelines or national guidelines were used less frequently or never.

Most patients are likely to have been prescribed intermittent oxygen without any objective assessment. Implementation of evidence-based guidelines and a formal oxygen assessment service, would rationalize the use of intermittent oxygen therapy and enable better targeting of this expensive resource.