What is a key principle of administering oxygen therapy?

A key principle of administering oxygen therapy revolves around patient safety and ensuring that the correct protocol is followed. The application of the 7 rights of safe medication administration is crucial in oxygen therapy practice. These rights include ensuring the right patient, right drug (in this case, the correct delivery of oxygen), right dose (in terms of flow rate or concentration), right route (appropriate delivery system), right time, right documentation, and right to refuse. This principle emphasizes that administering oxygen is a medical intervention that must be approached with the same diligence and caution as any medication.

By adhering to these rights, healthcare providers can minimize the risk of errors, ensure appropriate treatment levels are maintained, and tailor oxygen delivery to meet individual patient needs. This is particularly important given that patients may require different levels of oxygen based on their clinical condition.

In this context, the other choices do not align with the principles of safe oxygen therapy management: the idea of unlimited doses disregards potential toxicity or other complications associated with excessive oxygen; saying oxygen should always be delivered through a mask does not account for different types of delivery systems based on clinical requirements; and suggesting that oxygen therapy is only for patients with COPD is a misconception, as oxygen therapy is applicable for a variety of respiratory conditions. Thus