MedGroup
November 2010
Myths and Truths about Oxygen
Myth: Once you start using oxygen, you’ll need it for the rest of your life.
Truth: Many people have discontinued oxygen use after other appropriate treatments have taken effect. This can take time, though.
Myth: Oxygen is addictive.
Truth: Oxygen is NOT addictive.
Myth: If I have a stuffy nose, I shouldn’t bother using my nasal cannula.
Truth: Oxygen can still be delivered even if you have a stuffy nose.
Myth: People who need oxygen must be confined to their homes and cannot do anything, including travel.
Truth: People who use oxygen can lead a normal life. There are several types of portable oxygen systems available that allow people to be more active and mobile. Oxygen can improve exercise capacity. People who use oxygen can travel with advanced planning.
Myth: If a little oxygen is good, more oxygen is better.
Truth: Oxygen is a drug. Use it as prescribed or instructed. Like any drug, too much or too little can be harmful.
Myth: Shortness of breath means a lack of oxygen, so if you become short of breath you should use oxygen.
Truth: Shortness of breath is not always associated with a lack of oxygen. If low oxygen is not the cause, taking oxygen will not help. (Your doctor can test to see if you need oxygen by taking an arterial blood sample).
Prescription errors
Electronic prescriptions significantly reduce medication errors according to a study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. Researchers compared the number and severity of prescription errors between 15 health care providers who adopted e-prescribing and 15 who continued to write prescriptions by hand. A review of the paper-based prescriptions and electronic prescriptions found that one year after adopting e-prescribing, the percentage of errors dropped from 42.5% to 6.6% for the providers using the electronic system. For those who continued to write prescriptions by hand, the percentage of errors increased slightly from 37.3% to 38.4%. Illegibility problems were completely eliminated by e-prescribing.
H1N1 Update
H1N1 influenza spreads through households at a slower rate than seasonal flu, but when it does spread, it tends to hit children the hardest. That’s the take-home message from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers who studied data from Texas households. About 9% of people overall came down with the flu after being exposed to a household member with the virus versus 18% of children under age five and 11% of children between the ages of five and eighteen. (Emerging Infectious Diseases).
CSI Bugs, Anyone?
A new technique developed by investigators from the University of Colorado at Boulder could be coming to a CSI lab near you. The test accurately identified 70-90% of the unique bacteria on people’s hands, suggesting it could be used to identify objected touched by people suspected of committing a crime.
Pulmonary Rehabilitation
Taking part in a course of pulmonary rehabilitation is likely to increase your ability to do things around the house and reduce the risk of admission to hospital or having a flare up of your disease.
The vast majority of people can safely take part in courses that take place in the community and there should be one in your area. Please discuss the benefits of pulmonary rehabilitation with your doctor or nurse: then try it and see what it enables you to do. Medicare will cover a comprehensive program of pulmonary rehabilitation if you have moderate to very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and have a referral for pulmonary rehabilitation from the doctor treating your chronic respiratory disease. Courses include valuable input from a range of health professionals. And it can be fun!
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| There are 14 home safety issues in this picture: can you spot all of them? |
2. Deactivated fire alarm
3. Cloth on space heater
4. Overloaded outlets
5. Loose extension cords in traffic areas
6. Smoking. Cigarettes left unattended
7. No automatic shut-off on coffee maker
8. Open bottles of medicine
9. Outdated medications in cabinet
10. Loose rugs
11. Flip-flop slippers
12. Clutter on staircase
13. Newspapers too close to lamp
14. No deadbolt on door
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