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Home oxygen is prescribed when the level of oxygen in your blood is persistently low. It is a medical treatment, not a remedy for breathlessness on its own — some very breathless people have normal oxygen levels and do not need it, while others benefit greatly. Your need is confirmed with blood-oxygen testing before oxygen is prescribed, and the flow rate is set for you. This page explains the types of home oxygen and how to use them safely.
Who prescribes oxygen
Home oxygen is prescribed by a specialist — usually a respiratory physician, and sometimes a cardiologist, paediatrician or palliative care specialist — after formal testing. Your GP will often make the referral and keep managing your care alongside them, but the prescription itself, including the flow rate and the number of hours a day, is set by the specialist service.
Physiotherapists do not prescribe oxygen. Our role is assessment and education: measuring what your oxygen levels do during activity, teaching you to use the equipment while you exercise, and telling your doctor when what you have no longer matches what you need. Any change to the prescription comes from the prescribing service, not from us.
Your specialist may ask for a six-minute walk test to be done at Inspire Clinic as part of working out whether you need oxygen. It measures how far you can walk in six minutes and what your oxygen level does while you walk — which is the part a resting reading cannot show, because oxygen levels often sit in the normal range at rest and drop only on exertion. The result goes back to the specialist, who decides what is prescribed.
Why oxygen is prescribed
Oxygen therapy is used when tests show your blood-oxygen level is too low (hypoxaemia). Correcting this reduces strain on the heart and, for the right people, improves survival and wellbeing.1 Because breathlessness and low oxygen are not the same, oxygen is only started after proper assessment — usually a blood-gas test (a blood sample that measures oxygen and carbon dioxide) or oximetry (a painless sensor clipped on your finger), sometimes with a walking test to check for oxygen levels dropping on exertion.
Types of home oxygen
| Type | How it is delivered | Typically for |
|---|---|---|
| Long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) | A concentrator (a machine that makes oxygen from room air) used for many hours a day, often overnight. | Persistently low resting oxygen levels. |
| Ambulatory oxygen (for use when you are up and about) | Portable cylinders or a portable concentrator used when out and about. | Oxygen levels that drop with activity. |
| Short-burst oxygen | Occasional use for symptom relief. | Selected situations, as advised — evidence for routine use is limited. |
Oxygen usually flows through soft nasal prongs (a cannula), or sometimes a mask, at the flow rate your team has set.2
Using it safely
- Never change your flow rate unless your team tells you to — too much oxygen can be harmful for some people with lung disease.
- Use it for the number of hours prescribed; the benefit for LTOT depends on wearing it long enough each day.
- Keep the tubing untangled and be careful not to trip; take care on stairs.
- Look after your skin behind the ears and under the nose; a little moisture-free barrier can help.
In some people with lung disease, too much oxygen lets carbon dioxide build up in the blood. It comes on gradually, so the signs are easy to miss:
- Waking with a headache, or a headache that is worse first thing in the morning
- Feeling unusually sleepy or drowsy through the day
- Confusion or muddled thinking, or a fine tremor in the hands
Do not turn your oxygen down or off yourself — contact your prescribing service or GP, who can retest and adjust it. If you or someone with you becomes very drowsy or hard to rouse, call 000.
- No smoking — and no one else smoking — near oxygen. This is the most important rule.
- Keep oxygen at least 3 metres from naked flames, gas stoves, heaters and candles.
- Avoid oil-based creams, petroleum jelly and aerosols on your face while using oxygen.
- Tell your electricity provider and fire service that oxygen is used in your home, and fit working smoke alarms.
Getting the most from it
Oxygen works best alongside the rest of your plan — airway clearance, inhaled medicines, staying active and pulmonary rehabilitation — at Inspire Clinic this is delivered as cardiorespiratory rehabilitation, combining cardiac and pulmonary rehab. If you feel more breathless despite using your oxygen as prescribed, contact your team rather than turning it up.3
References & evidence base
- Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand. Adult domiciliary oxygen therapy: position statement. Respirology 2015;20(6):855–866.
- Hardinge M, Annandale J, Bourne S, et al. British Thoracic Society guidelines for home oxygen use in adults. Thorax 2015;70(Suppl 1):i1–i43.
- Lung Foundation Australia. Oxygen therapy fact sheet. Brisbane: Lung Foundation Australia, 2024.
References are numbered in citation order (Vancouver/BMJ style) and were current at the time of writing. Guidelines are living documents — verify against the latest version before clinical use.
More than one of our services applies here, and which combination suits you depends on what your assessment shows.
Corrections: If something on this page is wrong, out of date or unclear, we want to know. Email reception@inspireclinic.au with the page name and what you believe is incorrect. Substantive corrections are made promptly, and the guide’s version and last-updated date are changed to reflect it.