PULSE OXIMETRY

Background/Aim: Pulse oximetry has emerged as a clinical tool inanesthesia and is becoming popular in developing countries. Unfortunately, its use is usually not accompanied byappropriate staff training. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge about pulse oximetry among the 7th yearmedical student Interns (MS) and nursing staff (NS) of Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Coronary Care Unit (CCU) andRecovery Room (RR) of four medical-school affiliated hospitals in Shiraz, Iran. Study Period: Feb 2001- Feb 2002Materials and Methods: A 14-item questionnaire (4 demographic and 10 knowledge), multiple-choice and open ended,was developed to assess knowledge of pulse oximetry. Among 150 7th year medical students and 200 nursing staff,40 from each group was randomly selected and invited to complete the questionnaire. Results: A 100% response ratewas achieved. All of the participants used pulse oximetry regularly in their daily work. The mean test scores for MS andNS were 60.5 ± 21 and 49 ± 17%, respectively (p < 0.05). None of the participants had adequate training in the useof pulse oximetry. Conclusion: Our study revealed that medical students and staff nurses were untrained in pulseoximetry, lacked knowledge of basic principles, and made serious errors in interpretation of readings. Therefore, werecommend that medical schools and nurse training programs place emphasis on teaching the principles andapplications of pulse oximetry and the oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve.