Abstract

Aim: Oxygen is a life-saving essential medicine that is crucial for the treatment of many common childhood conditions. Despite the overwhelming evidence of the role of oxygen in critically ill children, refusal of oxygen therapy by caregivers has been reported in developing countries.
Materials and Methods: This multicentre cross-sectional study was conducted among the caregivers of children admitted to the Children’s Emergency Rooms of three tertiary hospitals in Southeastern Nigeria. Data were collected to assess awareness and acceptance of oxygen therapy using researcher-administered semi-structured questionnaires.
Results: Out of the 571 respondents, 450 (78.8%) were aware of oxygen therapy, with hospitals (79.0%) being the most common source of awareness. The acceptance rate of oxygen therapy among the respondents was 94.9%. No significant association was found between socio-demographic factors and acceptance of oxygen therapy.
Conclusion: Although awareness of oxygen therapy is high in Southeastern Nigeria, there is still a need for continued education of caregivers on the benefits and mechanisms of this life-saving treatment.

Key words: Oxygen therapy, acceptance, awareness, caregivers, children's emergency