Who should prescribe long-term oxygen in patients affected by chronic arterial hypoxaemia?

Thirty two patients, 22 males and 10 females, mean age 69 yrs, affected by chronic arterial hypoxaemia due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), were included in a long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) study. The aim of the study was to retrospectively evaluate the relationship between good education of the patients on long-term oxygen therapy and the different sources of prescription, i.e. general practitioners (GPs), the Departments of Internal Medicine, or our Department of Respiratory Medicine. The results showed that oxygen prescription and instruction in its use were correct more frequently when the recommendations were performed by the Department of Respiratory Medicine, and less frequently when the prescribers were general practitioners or Departments of Internal Medicine. Furthermore, the compliance of the patients to LTOT was significantly related to a specialized prescription, suggesting that oxygen therapy has to be the responsibility of the specialized units.