Oxygen is a treatment for hypoxaemia, not breathlessness.
Clinical assessment is recommended if the saturation falls by ≥3% or below the target range for the patient.
The fifth vital sign’ (supplemented by blood gases when necessary), and the inspired oxygen concentration should be recorded on the observation chart with the oximetry result.
Oxygen should be prescribed to achieve a target saturation of 94–98% for most acutely ill patients or
88–92% or patient-specific target range for those at risk of hypercapnic respiratory failure
