TY - JOUR T1 - Home Oxygen Evaluation by Respiratory Therapists in Patients Hospitalized for COPD Exacerbations: The RIsOTTO Study JF - Respiratory Care DO - 10.4187/respcare.07628 SP - respcare.07628 AU - Ai-Yui M. Tan AU - David L. Vines AU - Jerry A. Krishnan AU - Valentin Prieto-Centurion AU - Thomas J. Kallstrom Y1 - 2020/08/05 UR - http://rc.rcjournal.com/content/early/2020/08/05/respcare.07628.abstract N2 - Background: The primary goal of the study was to estimate the frequency with which respiratory therapists (RTs) evaluate the need for home oxygen in patients hospitalized for COPD exacerbations before discharge.Methods: Online questionnaire distributed to RTs in the U.S. by the AARC. RTs were asked to indicate how frequently they evaluate the need for home oxygen on an ordinal scale: Never, Rarely/occasionally, Sometimes, Most of the time, Almost every time, or Every time. Consistent evaluation for home oxygen was defined as performing an evaluation for home oxygen therapy “almost every time” or “every time” (i.e., >75% of the time). Bivariate and multivariable analyses were assessed using Fisher’s exact test and logistic regression models.Results: Of 611 respondents, 490 were eligible for analysis. Fifty-eight percent of RTs reported consistently evaluating patients for home oxygen at rest, 43% with activity, and only 14% during sleep. Consistent evaluation for home oxygen at rest was significantly associated with greater years of practice (p=0.03; highest among RTs ≥30 years of practice, 40%), region of practice (p=0.001; highest in the Midwest, 44%) and greater familiarity with criteria for home oxygen (p<0.001; highest among RTs “very familiar”, 58%). Practice in the Midwest and greater familiarity with criteria for home oxygen was associated with consistent evaluation for home oxygen with activity. Practice in the Midwest (vs. Northeast; adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.56, p<0.001) and being “very familiar” with home oxygen criteria (vs. “not at all familiar”; aOR 5.66, p<0.001) were independently associated with a higher odds of evaluating for home oxygen at rest and with activity. Only 25% of RTs were involved in making decisions about home oxygen equipment.Conclusions: RTs do not consistently evaluate patients hospitalized for COPD exacerbations for home oxygen prior to discharge and only a minority are involved in selecting home oxygen equipment. ER -