Emergency oxygen for adults guideline : a change in oxygen therapy?

Editorial. Evidence based guidelines underpin and guide much of our clinical practice today and these guidelines are usually disease or situation specific. Rarely do we see a guideline that has wide ranging relevance with the potential for an impact on most healthcare settings. The British Thoracic Society (BTS) emergency oxygen for adults guideline (Leach & Davison 2009) changes the way we think about oxygen as a medical gas and as a therapeutic agent. In this editorial, we have highlighted the key areas that have altered from previously accepted ways of delivering oxygen therapy. These changes will require modifications to policy and adjustments to local practice along with an educational update for staff to ensure future safe clinical practice.