CONTINUOUS PULSE OXIMETRY

Course overview

IN RECENT YEARS, HOSPITAL CARE HAS SIGNIFICANTLY CHANGED. PATIENTS SPEND LESS TIME IN THE HOSPITAL BUT REQUIRE AN INCREASED LEVEL OF CARE WHILE ADMITTED. WITH NURSE-PATIENT RATIOS INCREASING, ROUTINE MONITORING (SUCH AS INTERMITTENT CHECKS OF OXYGENATION) MAY NOT BE ADEQUATE TO PREVENT PATIENT DETERIORATION, WHICH CAN PROGRESS RAPIDLY IN SOME PATIENT POPULATIONS. WHILE PULSE OXIMETRY IS THE STANDARD OF CARE IN THE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT AND OPERATING ROOM, ONLY RECENTLY HAS THE USE OF CONTINUOUS PULSE OXIMETRY ON THE GENERAL CARE FLOOR RECEIVED INCREASED ATTENTION. CONTINUOUS PULSE OXIMETRY HAS THE POTENTIAL TO DECREASE PULMONARY COMPLICATIONS AND INCREASE PATIENT OUTCOMES IN HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS BY PROVIDING MINUTE-TO-MINUTE PATIENT ASSESSMENT BETWEEN INTERMITTENT NURSING EVALUATIONS. THIS COURSE WILL REVIEW THE TECHNOLOGY UNDERLYING PULSE OXIMETRY AS WELL AS THE NEED AND ADVANTAGES OF CONTINUOUS PULSE OXIMETRY OUTSIDE OF THE OR AND ICU. EMPHASIS WILL BE PLACED ON HOW TO IMPROVE PATIENT SAFETY WITH CONTINUOUS PULSE OXIMETRY IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT PATIENT POPULATIONS.PURPOSETHE OVERALL PURPOSE OF THIS ACTIVITY IS TO EDUCATE LEARNERS ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF CONTINUOUS MONITORING WITH PULSE OXIMETRY.