Costing new services: long-term domiciliary oxygen therapy.

An economic appraisal of different methods of long-term treatment with oxygen in the home has shown that the oxygen concentrator is the cheapest and most convenient one. The only method at present generally available in the National Health Service, the use of small oxygen cylinders, is the most expensive and least convenient of those studied. There is need for a more flexible administrative system which will allow patients and the Health Service to benefit from the economies which are offered by technical advances.