Aligning Pulse Oximetry With Guidelines

Continuous pulse oximetry (SpO2) monitoring has revolutionized detection of oxygen desaturation in operating rooms and other high-risk areas, improving outcomes in those settings. However, research suggests that overuse of continuous SpO2 monitoring in stable children with bronchiolitis who are unlikely to benefit from it is low-value care that places some children at risk of adverse outcomes. Despite national guidelines discouraging continuous pulse oximetry use in stable bronchiolitis patients, 46% of those infants and children are continuously monitored. This pragmatic, prospective, non-randomized, single-arm feasibility pilot will be performed on non-Intensive Care Unit (ICU) hospital units that care for bronchiolitis patients. The primary subjects are hospital staff who order or manage continuous pulse oximetry monitoring for bronchiolitis patients; secondary subjects are patients age 2 through 23 months with a primary diagnosis of bronchiolitis.