Teaching Oxygen Therapy: Nasal Cannula, Masks, and Safe O₂ Administration in Simulation

Oxygen therapy simulation should teach students to view oxygen as a clinical therapy that must be selected, delivered, monitored, and reassessed according to the patient's needs, the medical order, and applicable clinical protocols. Students should practice choosing an appropriate delivery device, checking equipment, positioning a nasal cannula or mask correctly, monitoring the patient's response, recognizing safety hazards, and knowing when the response to therapy requires further assessment or escalation.

Key Points

• Oxygen therapy training should combine device selection, patient assessment, equipment setup, monitoring, and reassessment.
• Students should understand the practical differences between nasal cannulas and different types of oxygen masks.
• Oxygen flow should be selected according to the prescribed therapy, delivery device, patient requirements, and applicable clinical protocol.
• Correct device positioning and secure tubing are important parts of effective oxygen delivery.
• Pulse oximetry provides useful monitoring information but should not be interpreted without considering the patient's overall condition.
• Students should practice checking the complete oxygen delivery system when readings or patient response do not match expectations.
• Oxygen safety training should include equipment handling and awareness of fire and combustion hazards.
• Simulation scenarios should require students to document the device used, oxygen settings, assessments, interventions, and patient response.
• Debriefing should explore why students selected a particular device or action rather than evaluating only whether they completed the procedure.

The human body needs oxygen to survive. There is no way around it. Unfortunately, many people face medical problems where their lungs are unable to absorb adequate amounts of oxygen on their own. If their blood oxygen levels are not raised fast enough, it could permanently damage their organs and other vital tissues of the body. For this reason, doctors and medical professionals commonly administer oxygen therapy to patients who have trouble breathing on their own.

How to Teach Oxygen Therapy to Students

Oxygen therapy is a critical skill to teach to nursing and medical students. They must understand and practice how to administer oxygen safely using a nasal cannula or oxygen mask in various simulated clinical scenarios. Since each administration device is best to use in different circumstances, you should have your students identify those circumstances in your simulation exercises.

Here are the basic tips and recommendations for teaching oxygen therapy to students in a simulation environment:

1) Teach the Differences Between Nasal Cannula and Oxygen Masks

Nasal cannula and oxygen masks are the two key pieces of medical equipment in your oxygen therapy simulation. The nasal cannula is a thin plastic device with two small prongs inserted into the patient’s nose, where oxygen is delivered into their nasal passages. It is typically needed for patients who require a lower flow of oxygen assistance, anywhere from 1 to 6 liters of oxygen per minute. Patients who are stable and able to talk and eat will fall into this category.

On the other hand, patients in more critical or distressful conditions will have higher oxygen flow requirements. In these situations, they will need to wear an oxygen mask to receive higher concentrations of oxygen into their lungs and bodies. The mask covers the entire nose and mouth, ensuring the oxygen flow remains high. The patient will receive between 6 and 12 liters of oxygen per minute through the mask.

2) Place Manikins in the Simulation Laboratory

Low- or high-fidelity manikins will serve as the patients in your simulation laboratory. They provide the safest way for students to practice oxygen therapy because they can experiment on artificial people rather than real people. That way, there is no risk of injuring anybody when the students make mistakes (which they are bound to do).

You don’t need a fancy or expensive manikin unless you want it to have automated response capabilities. For general oxygen therapy lessons, an all-purpose patient care simulator manikin can serve this purpose. It has flexible joints that can move and respond to various actions performed on it, such as oxygen delivery and inhalation. Students can repeatedly practice inserting the nasal cannula or oxygen mask on the manikin until they get it right. From there, they can practice safely administering oxygen to the patient through the cannula or mask.

3) Emphasize the Importance of Safe Oxygen Administration

A simulation environment is meant to eliminate the risks involved when teaching oxygen therapy administration to students. However, students should learn the necessary safety protocols and common safety mistakes made in real-life clinical settings so that they can learn to be safe in every setting. A simulation doesn’t eliminate the importance of following safety protocols and avoiding safety mistakes.

For instance, safely inserting the nasal cannula requires students to insert the two prongs curved downward into the nostrils, while looping the tubing over the ears to secure them in place. Many beginner students make the mistake of inserting the prongs upward or choosing a high flow rate. Such mistakes can result in excessive nasal dryness and poor oxygen delivery.

Most students can quickly learn how to apply an oxygen mask to a patient’s face. Unfortunately, they often make the mistake of setting a lower flow rate than what is needed to sustain the patient’s health and wellness. Such a mistake can lead to high carbon dioxide retention and subsequent rebreathing. Make sure your students experience the consequences of these mistakes in their simulations, so they can better remember to avoid them.

4) Practice Oxygen Saturation Assessments with a Pulse Oximeter

Oxygen saturation refers to the level of oxygen carried in the patient’s red blood cells. Nurses and medical professionals can better determine the best oxygen flow rate to set by measuring the oxygen saturation with a pulse oximeter. That is why teaching safe oxygen therapy administration also requires teaching students how to conduct oxygen saturation assessments.

Supply each student with a pulse oximeter and teach them how to use it. They will basically clip the device onto the patient’s finger with the nail side facing upward. Their hand must remain still at heart level for the most accurate readings possible. Once your students learn how to assess oxygen saturation, you can teach them to consider how the results coincide with the patient’s current health condition.

5) Create a Skills Checklist

There are many smaller steps and tasks involved in delivering oxygen therapy to patients. To ensure your students understand them, you should create a skills checklist for evaluating your students when they perform their oxygen therapy test in front of you. It is the best way to determine if they are ready to administer oxygen therapy in a real clinical setting.

The checklist may include the following:

• Verifies the patient’s identity
• Reviews the patient’s medical chart for more information on current health
• Practices hand hygiene
• Explains the oxygen therapy procedure to the patient
• Chooses the appropriate oxygen therapy equipment
• Inspects the equipment to verify its safe functionality
• Sets the appropriate oxygen flow
• Places the nasal cannula or oxygen mask on the patient
• Monitors appropriate oxygen flow levels
• Documents results

Gather Your Supplies for Teaching Oxygen Therapy

Do you need a reliable supplier of simulated medical equipment for your oxygen therapy lessons? Pristine Medical is one of the most reliable suppliers of simulated oxygen masks, nasal cannulas, pulse oximeters, and other essential respiratory care equipment for teaching oxygen therapy to students.