Preventing Oxygen Therapy-Related Fires and Burn Injuries: A Comprehensive National Strategic Approach

Fires and burn injuries incurred from home oxygen therapy continue to pose a significant and escalating public health risk, particularly as the population of older adults ≥ 65 years exponentially grows during the next decades. In these oxygen-rich environments, common household ignition sources can trigger spontaneous fires that burn hotter and spread more rapidly. This endangers the patient, family members, neighbors, home healthcare workers, and first responders, potentially leading to property loss, injury, and/or death. A call to action was stimulated by a national review revealing a 14% per year increase in oxygen therapy injuries during a 10-year period. Similarly, the Veterans Health Administration issued a "Patient Safety Alert" due to the observed significant increase in oxygen therapy-related fires and injuries. To address this critical issue, professionals nationwide are seeking novel solutions to define the problem, raise awareness, and implement community-based risk reduction strategies. Hence, this article bridges an identified literature gap by providing a needed foundational overview of oxygen therapy-related fires and burn injuries, examining incidence data, illustrating current knowledge and data limitations, highlighting unique challenges, exploring opportunities for change, outlining ongoing national risk reduction efforts, and recommending specific evidence-informed strategic approaches for comprehensive prevention and mitigation interventions.