Late Breaking Abstract - Audit of oxygen prescription and monitoring: Improving by dedicated prescription stamp

<bold>Introduction:</bold> Oxygen prescriptions have often been erroneous and invalid prescriptions were very commonly noted in BTS 2015 audit. <bold>Aims:</bold> 1. To study oxygen prescription and monitoring standards 2. To study the effect of introduction of a prescription stamp on prescription and monitoring <bold>Methods:</bold> We studied 100 consecutive patients who were prescribed oxygen in the respiratory ward – the first audit. The prescription parameters assessed were assessment of baseline oxygen saturation on room air, device, flow rate, monitoring, target saturation. After the first audit, we introduced an oxygen prescription stamp having the aforementioned parameters and then a second audit was done with another group of consecutive 50 patients in the respiratory ward. <bold>Results:</bold> In the first audit, before the dedicated prescription stamp, out of 100 patients, assessment of room air oxygen saturation prior to oxygen therapy initiation was 81%; device were mentioned in 81%; flow rate was mentioned in 99%; target saturation was present in 27% and monitoring was done in 96%. After the introduction of the dedicated stamp and education of the departmental staffs, the second audit was carried out – of the 50 patients, baseline room air oxygen saturation was assessed in all (100%); flow device (100%) and flow rate (100%) were mentioned in all; monitoring was done in all patients (100%); target saturation was mentioned in 40 patients (80%). <bold>Conclusion:</bold> A dedicated oxygen prescription stamp, along with education, would bring about a significant improvement in the compliance of the prescription policy and that would lead to optimal usage of oxygen preventing hyperoxia and reducing financial burden to the hospital.