Oxygen Therapy

Oxygen Safety

To ensure you have full awareness of safety considerations around oxygen use and delivery, please start by reading the following illustrated guides from ClinicalSkills.net:

You will need to be logged into ClinicalSkills.net to use these pages: Go to ClinicalSkills.net, click login at the top, enter your user name and password. You must have set up your account to do this. For further information on how to login to your ClinicalSkills.net account please click here: How to Login to ClinicalSkills.net

Medical Gases Part 1: Overview of Supply and Safe Use in a Hospital Setting 

Medical Gases Part 2: Safe Use of Flowmeters in a Hospital Setting 

Oxygen Therapy

Read the illustrated guides to oxygen therapy on ClinicalSkills.net below: 

Oxygen Therapy Part 1 - Key Principles and Documentation

Oxygen Therapy Part 2: Oxygen Delivery Systems 

Oxygen Therapy Part 3: Humidification of Oxygen 

Oxygen Delivery Systems for Infants and Children

For more information on respiratory assessment and examination, please refer to the Respiratory Examination and Assessment Page

Remember that oxygen is a drug and that it should therefore be prescribed (unless in an emergency when it may be used without prescription - check local policy around this). Its use should also be recorded on the NEWS2 chart or patient observation system when taking patient observations. See the Vital Signs pages for more information here.

Click on the button below to navigate to the 'Take a Test' area of ClinicalSkills.net. Please make sure you're logged into ClinicalSkills.net already with your SHU account, otherwise you may not be able to open and take the test. Once you have reached the 'Take a Test' area, select 'Local Tests' and then click on the test called 'Oxygen Therapy (Theory)' to begin. You will need to score 80% or more to pass. Make sure you've read the contents of this page thoroughly and watched the videos before taking the test as many of the answers will be found within there!

NPSA alerts

MHRA Medical Device Alert: Bag valve mask (BVM) manual resuscitation system – risk of damage to lungs by delivery of excessive pressure 

www.cas.mhra.gov.uk/ViewandAcknowledgment/ViewAlert.aspx?AlertID=102718 

Royal Marsden Manual of Clinical Procedures (9th Edition): Respiratory Therapy- Page 300- 320

ProQuest Ebook Central - Reader 

NICE- Oxygen

www.bnf.nice.org.uk/treatment-summaries/oxygen/ 

WHO- Oxygen therapy for children

www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241549554 

Date reviewed: 

Next review: August 2023