TOPIC: Education, Research, and Quality Improvement TYPE: Original Investigations PURPOSE: To evaluate the knowledge and comfort level of internal medicine residents and nursing staff in a community hospital about oxygen therapy. This included inpatient utilization of oxygen therapy, eligibility for home oxygen therapy, insurance documentation, patient education at the time of discharge, and attitudes towards further training. METHODS: Microsoft forms were used to send custom surveys to post-graduation year(PGY) 1, PGY2, PGY3 internal medicine residents (24 questions), and nursing staff (12 questions) at Mercy Catholic Medical Center. The questions were created to assess knowledge, comfort level, discharge process, educational practices on oxygen utilization in the hospital, and discharge. We used PRISM 9 statistical software to compare confidence levels. RESULTS: 42 out of 72 (58%) residents and 41 nurses responded to the survey. The mean level of confidence among the residents on counseling patients at the time of discharge was higher in PGY2 (6.4 vs. 5.3, p 0.046) and PGY3 (7.5 vs. 5.3, p 0.004) compared to the PGY1. A similar pattern observed in PGY2 residents (6.8 vs. 5.3, p 0.006) and PGY3 residents (7.8 vs. 5.3, p 0.001) regarding the transition of the patient from one mode of oxygenation such as a nasal cannula, oximiser, and high flow to another compared to the PGY1 residents. PGY3 residents were more comfortable discussing potential adverse events and hazards due to oxygen use than PGY1 (7 vs. 5.3, p 0.03) and PGY2 (7 vs. 5, p 0.002). Most residents and nurses were able to identify appropriate oxygen use in a given clinical scenario. However, only 16.7% of residents and 2.4% of nurses selected the specific indications for oxygen correctly. 33.3 % of the residents were able to identify the correct timeline to reassess the necessity to continue oxygen use after being discharged. 40.5% of residents were able to identify all limitations to prescribing oxygen to the patients. No resident was able to identify the correct documentation per insurance standards for home oxygen in COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) patients. More than 50% of residents and nurses reported they did not always see clear discharge instructions on using oxygen at home for the patients. 97.6% of residents and 61% of nurses believed there is a need for additional training. Most residents (66.7%) preferred the in-person training (66.7%), while nurses almost equally valued in-person training (41.5%) and online (43.5%) training modules. CONCLUSIONS: The study shows a lack of confidence and knowledge about oxygen use among first-year residents when compared to senior residents, potentially indicating the benefit of additional education. The necessity of additional training is perceived by most internal medicine residents and nursing staff in the form of online modules and in-person training. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: In medical residency training hospitals, residents and nursing staff are most often responsible for testing and counseling patients on oxygen therapy at the time of discharge. Making greater efforts to improve their knowledge and comfort can decrease adverse effects of over-and underutilization of oxygen therapy in patients while also ensuring the practice of safe and cost-effective medicine. DISCLOSURES: No relevant relationships by Utsav Aiya, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Bohdan Baralo, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Bhanusowmya Buragamadagu, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Avijit Deb, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Richard Herbster, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Aliza Khanam, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Michael Korman, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Ruqqiya Mustaqeem, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Rakin Rashid, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Ayman Seifin, source=Web Response