COVID-19 Pulse Oximetry

It became clear during the pandemic that a number of our younger, lower risk, inpatients who were recovering from COVID-19 could be discharged and cared for at home rather than in a hospital bed provided that we were able to monitor their oxygen levels.

This helps the patient as they are much more comfortable at home and are able to recover more quickly. It also freed up bed space for other, sicker, patients at the height of the pandemic.

In this virtual service, while still in hospital patients are taught how to use an oximeter along with an “app” to record the readings from the oximeter.

The patient then goes home and uses their oximeter, uploading their data to the “app” as they go through their day.

Clinicians at the hospital contact the patient to discuss their oximeter readings on a daily basis. The oximeter data is also monitored on a 24-hour basis by our clinicians remotely from hospital via the “app”.

We can contact the patient should abnormal readings be received.