Evaluation of a large‐scale donation of Lifebox pulse oximeters to non‐physician anaesthetists in Uganda. (May 2014) - Finch, L. C.
Summary Pulse oximetry is widely accepted as essential monitoring for safe anaesthesia, yet is frequently unavailable in resource‐limited settings. The Lifebox pulse oximeter, and associated management training programme, was delivered to 79 non‐physician anaesthetists attending the 2011 Uganda Society of Anaesthesia Annual Conference. Using a standardised assessment, recipients were tested for their knowledge of oximetry use and hypoxia management before, immediately following and 3–5 months after the training. Before the course, the median (IQR [range]) test score for the anaesthetists was 36 (34–39 [26–44]) out of a maximum of 50 points. Immediately following the course, the test score increased to 41 (38–43 [25–47]); p < 0.0001 and at the follow‐up visit at 3–5 months it was 41 (39–44 [33–49]); p = 0.001 compared with immediate post‐training test scores, and 75/79 (95%) oximeters were in routine clinical use. This method of introduction resulted in a high rate of uptake of oximeters into clinical practice and a demonstrable retention of knowledge in a resource‐limited setting.