LTOT Patients’ Experience of a Portable Oxygen Unit and Health-Related Quality of Life—A Cross-Sectional Study

摘要

The purpose of the present study was to elucidate the experiences of long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) patients with a portable oxygen unit and to describe the patients’ self-assessed health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The study employed a prospective cross-sectional design. Data collection entailed two questionnaires, namely the MedTech20 (patients’ experience of the medical device in four areas) and EQ-5D (HRQoL). The informants consisted of patients ( = 148) treated with such a medical device and that were registered in Skåne University Hospital’s database, Medusa. In the domain the informant felt and expressed . Regarding , the responses did not indicate the device to , , or to a larger extent. The respondents did express a reduced sense of , with a minor effect on . With regards to , the responses indicated the product to provide . Overall, a strongly affected HRQoL ( EQ-VAS Md = 50 (IQR 36–70)) with strong correlation with EQ-5D was seen. Informants experienced the portable oxygen unit as reliable and safe to use while giving a sense of control over the disease itself. A minor impact on social participation was reported, except for a reduced sense of compromised integrity. The patients also reported a strongly reduced HRQoL.