MoblO2 to Maintain Oxygenation

Many patients with chronic lung disease (e.g., chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or interstitial lung disease (ILD)) require supplemental oxygen (O2) at some point during their disease course. Practitioners prescribe O2 to patients with chronic lung disease in hopes of the following: 1) that it will limit desaturation events and combat breathlessness, thus preventing the frustratingly slow pace and numerous rest breaks patients are forced to adopt while doing even simple tasks; 2) that it will allow patients to be more active physically (perhaps increase their ability to exercise) and socially (perhaps leave the home more often); 3) that it will stave off putative complications of hypoxemia (e.g., cognitive dysfunction, pulmonary hypertension) and 4) that it will improve health-related quality of life (HRQL). However, despite the rationale for O2, and prescribers' good intentions, patients generally view O2 with frustration and fear - it threatens their HRQL, which is already impaired by having a condition that imposes itself on every aspect of their lives. Nasal cannulas and delivery devices call unwanted attention to patients when they are out in public. O2 users feel stigmatized and are often viewed as "smokers who get what they deserve, even if they never smoked a day in their lives" - or as disabled, sick or even infectious. O2 steals patients' independence, forcing them to plan their lives around it. The anxiety that patients and their caregivers experience around running out of oxygen, or not getting enough, immobilizes them and restricts participation in activities outside of the home. O2 disrupts the home environment, adding stress, and creating a burden for patients' caregiver-loved-ones who are often saddled with the responsibility of ensuring adequate equipment and supply of O2, and O2 is a constant reminder to patients they are living with a condition that could shorten their lives. O2 delivery equipment is typically heavy, unwieldy and int