Do We Know How to Use Oxygen Properly in Emergeny Department?

Aim The aim of this study was to determine emergency department doctors' and nurses' knowledge regarding oxygen therapy. Material and Methods A 7-item questionnaire survey was developed and applied to assess knowledge of oxygen therapy. The questionnaire was administered to a total of 100 (20 nurses, 30 resident physicians and 50 intern doctors (last-year medical students) staff from two university teaching hospital in Ankara, Turkey. Results A response rate of 100% was achieved from participants in the study. Only 9% of the participants answered all the questions correctly on oxygen therapy. Conclusions Our study shows that emergency medical staffs have significant gaps in their knowledge on appropriate oxygen therapy. Since deficiencies in emergency medicine staffs knowledge on treatment with oxygen deficits influence patient's outcome, we recommend that emergency medicine staff should be trained regarding oxygen therapy and medical schools should pay much more attention to this issue in their curricula.