Activity Summary
Oxygen saturation (SpO2) is one of the five vital signs that helps clinicians provide timely care, but the powerful pulse oximeters used to measure SpO2 can have blind spots that lead to inequitable care. For example, pulse oximeters, which work by shining light through a patient's tissue, are shown to be less accurate on average for patients with darker skin.
This presentation includes a summary of former FDA guidance. In January 2025, the FDA released
Draft guidance for pulse oximeters, which will supersede the previous guidance once finalized.
Objectives
- Summarize the fundamentals of pulse oximetry to understand how SpO2 readings are impacted by skin pigmentation.
- Explain the patient-level and clinical factors associated with differences in pulse oximeter performance.
- Incorporate guidance for optimizing the accuracy of pulse oximeters into clinical practice.
Continuing Education Disclosure Statement
Continuing Education Recognition Points (CERPs) are recognized by the AACN Certification Corporation, our credentialing arm, to encompass a wide spectrum of continuing education activities performed by nurses in high acuity and critical care and fulfill educational requirements for certification. Synergy CERP is a program exclusive to AACN for nurses wishing to recertify through AACN.
State boards of nursing and other certification organizations may recognize CERPs as meeting CE Contact Hour requirements. We recommend consulting with the state board or credentialing organization before submitting CERPs to fulfill CEContact Hour requirements.