Pulse Oximetry With Automated Verbal Prompts

University of Florida

Status: Completed

Conditions: Hypoxemia

Treatments: Other: pulse oximetry software; Behavioral: Brief post-PACU stay survey.

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02930863

IRB201600061

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study will evaluate the effectiveness of an automated voice prompting system on post operative hypoxia within the Postoperative Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU). This will be done to detect an improvement of the patient experience and provider care through a decrease in the number of peripheral capillary oxygen saturation (SpO2) monitor alarms via the patients own ability to follow the instruction and improve their SpO2 levels.

Full description

The investigators will examine and observe the patient's stay in the PACU and utilize the pulse oximetry software and data to analyze the ability to evaluate the difference in patient oxygenation levels and supplemental oxygen use with automated verbal prompted monitoring versus a standard care control group. As well as determine if automated verbal prompted monitoring leads to less monitor alarms and subsequent improvement of subjective alarm fatigue and patient satisfaction with their care versus standard care.

The pulse oximeter will have a finger probe that will be attached to the patient's middle finger to read the patient's SpO2 levels. Each time the participant's pulse oximetry value declines to 93% or less, an automated verbal prompt, created via the software, will generate as a soft prompt. This will be followed up by a hard prompt if no improvement is seen in their oxygenation level after a period of time. A positive feedback elicitation will be given if the participant's saturation levels increase above 93%. This automated verbal prompt guidance will take place during the entirety of the investigational group's PACU stay.

Enrollment: 89 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• planned general anesthetic
• ability to provide informed consent

Exclusion criteria

• use of regional anesthesia
• altered mental status
• hearing impairment requiring assistive devices
• inability to hear normal conversational voice during the consent process
• inability preoperatively to squeeze probe finger against thumb for any reason
• baseline SpO2 less than or equal to 93% (on room air or baseline home oxygen requirement)
• history of methemoglobinemia
• suspected or confirmed carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning
• planned admission to an intensive care unit

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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89 participants in 2 patient groups

Control Non-Automated Group

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants assigned to this group will receive the standard of care procedures for the monitoring and treatment of hypoxemia. Complete brief post-PACU stay survey.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Brief post-PACU stay survey.

Automated Prompt Group

Experimental group

Description:

Participants assigned to this group will utilize the automated verbal prompts to enable their ability to improve their current condition by following generated commands. Complete a questionnaire focused around their experience with the pulse oximetry software and its effects on the patient's satisfaction and experience.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Brief post-PACU stay survey.

Other: pulse oximetry software