Oxygen protocols for the prevention of hypoxemia. A review for case managers.

Case managers are challenged by the need to ensure quality care for patients in the face of increasing demands on the health care system to provide more economic care. These economic pressures often cause hospitalized patients to be transferred from critical care areas earlier than in years past. As a result, hypoxemia-inadequate oxygenation of the blood-is emerging as a serious patient safety problem in noncritical care areas of the hospital. The medical literature recently has begun to document hypoxemia in some patient groups on the general care floor, where continuous monitoring of patients' respiratory status usually is no longer employed. The serious health consequences of hypoxemia, the fact that it can affect nearly any hospitalized patient, and the potentially high cost of treating hypoxemia-related morbidity are drawing the attention of the medical community. Case managers are in a position to address this emerging problem by working with hospitals and health care institutions to identify at-risk patients and develop strategies to improve both clinical and financial outcomes. Patient care protocols are one effective strategy to standardize monitoring of patients deemed to be at risk. Early detection and treatment of hypoxemia have the potential to improve patient care while significantly reducing medical costs.