PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Mary Jarad
AU  - Mary Lynn Zaremba
AU  - Kristin Elliott
AU  - Alicia Huisman
AU  - Sridhar Reddy
TI  - Flying high perceptions of safety in air travel
DP  - 2014 Sep 01
TA  - European Respiratory Journal
PG  - P1109
VI  - 44
IP  - Suppl 58
4099  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/44/Suppl_58/P1109.short
4100  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/44/Suppl_58/P1109.full
SO  - Eur Respir J2014 Sep 01; 44
AB  - Air travel is becoming increasingly common with an estimated 300 billion passenger kilometers per month. There are an increasing number of travelers with lung and heart disease in which air travel may not be entirely safe. This study seeks to address common perceptions of the safety of air travel.An anonymous questionnaire was given to patients (n=52) and health care professionals (n=40) in a small community. The questionnaire addressed perceptions of safety of the air cabin environment as it pertains to health risks. On a scale of 0-10, 10 being the safest, patients thought that air travel was relatively safe (7.39) and health care professionals thought it was safe (8.375).Only 15% of health care professionals and 21.2% of patients were aware that an aircraft is pressurized to 5,000-8,000 ft. 23.1% of patients and 17.5% of health care professionals were aware of warnings regarding health effects of air travel.Only 17.5% of health care professionals were aware of any preflight testing for patients with lung and heart disease. 85% of health care professionals were unaware of the equivalent levels of oxygen in air cabins compared to sea level. In fact, 47.5% thought that the equivalent oxygen levels were similar to sea level.Air travel is becoming increasingly common. Patients and health care professionals have a poor understanding of air travel environment and are clearly unaware of the health risks and safety of air travel. Education and awareness campaigns by public health agencies and airlines are needed to safely manage health risks of air travel.