Oxygen Machines Review Methodology

How we research and review oxygen machines

Oxygen machines like portable oxygen concentrators (POCs) and home oxygen concentrators (HOCs) are medical devices that provide supplemental oxygen for people with certain respiratory conditions, like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and emphysema. [1] American Lung Association. Oxygen Therapy. May 5, 2023. Found on the internet at https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-procedures-and-tests/oxygen-therapy Our Reviews Team extensively researches and evaluates the oxygen machines that we recommend. As of this writing, our Reviews Team has spent over 1,000 hours researching oxygen machines. We’ve reviewed over 15 manufacturers, mystery-shopped five online retailers, and compared details like machine specifications, pricing, and customer experience.

Reviews Team oxygen machines research methodology

Our methodology was informed by published research and interviews with medical experts. We consulted geriatric and respiratory care professionals, such as Betty Lyda, RRT, Amber Snow, MSN, and Jenny Sanford, PCNP, who also medically reviewed our content.

We used insights from real oxygen machine users to guide our recommendations. To better understand customer experiences, we surveyed 600 oxygen machine users and caregivers of oxygen machine users in July 2023. We learned that the top benefits of oxygen therapy include more energy, better sleep, and more activity. [2] NCOA Adviser Oxygen Therapy Survey. 600 respondents. Conducted using Pollfish. Launched Jul. 24, 2022. When researching oxygen machine manufacturers and retailers, we consulted third-party review sites such as Better Business Bureau (BBB) and Trustpilot to understand customers’ positive and negative experiences.

The availability, quality, and safety of the products we recommend are a top priority, especially when the products are medical devices. Our comprehensive research is continually updated as new oxygen machine models are introduced and old models are discontinued. We keep up with current events in this category, especially when oxygen machine manufacturers are affected by safety recalls or product shortages. For example, we described the 2021 recall of Philips Respironics ventilators and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines in our review of the brand.

How we evaluate oxygen machines

In our survey of oxygen machine users and caregivers, respondents told us that the top five features they considered when buying an oxygen machine were:

  1. Size or weight of the machine
  2. Price
  3. Battery life
  4. Noise level
  5. Insurance coverage
Top features and benefits of oxygen machines according to user survey

We created a list of the best oxygen concentrators based on our findings from user surveys, medical expert interviews, and our research. We evaluated all the oxygen machines we researched based on the following factors:

We also considered factors such as warranty period, ease of use, the accessories included, company reputation, and the customer service responsiveness of both oxygen machine manufacturers and retailers.

We looked at similar criteria when evaluating the best CPAP machines and best CPAP masks, prioritizing comfort for overnight use. Read more about how we reviewed CPAP machines.

Respiratory and geriatric medicine professionals review all our content to help ensure readers get appropriate and accurate information when shopping for oxygen machines.

Sources

  1. American Lung Association. Oxygen Therapy. May 5, 2023. Found on the internet at https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-procedures-and-tests/oxygen-therapy
  2. NCOA Adviser Oxygen Therapy Survey. 600 respondents. Conducted using Pollfish. Launched July 24, 2023.
  3. Silicon Valley Power City of Santa Clara. Appliance Energy Use Chart. Aug. 28, 2023. Found on the internet at https://www.siliconvalleypower.com/residents/save-energy/appliance-energy-use-chart
  4. International Noise Awareness Day. Common Noise Levels – How Loud is Too Loud? Found on the internet at https://noiseawareness.org/info-center/common-noise-levels/