[Psychosocial features of the patients with home oxygen therapy].

Home oxygen therapy (HOT) has released patients with chronic respiratory failure (CRF) from hospitalization for the rest of their lives, and has brought some relief from their physical restriction due to CRF. However, some new psychosocial problems have arisen from this home care treatment. Research has been performed on 85 patients in our hospital by: (1) comprehensive psychosomatic questionnaire for patients with long-term oxygen therapy, (2) CMI, (3) SRQ-D (depression), (4) MAS and Questionnaire C of JMHW-CRF research group. The results of (1) indicated some problems in the majority of patients. Also in SRQ-D, about half of the patients showed a depressive state. In MAS, more than a few patients revealed a high anxiety level concretely, recognized psychosocial problems with loss of desire for treatment pessimism recording their prognosis, in addition to loss of QOL. All the above and an understanding by the staff of the psychosocial situation of patients and a grasp of their mental state are extremely important in the long-term care of HOT patients.