Do nursing textbooks accurately describe pulse oximetry? An audit of current literature

Background: The assessment of a patient’s vital signs is a critical nursing task. Despite this, research has found that many nurses have a poor understanding of pulse oximetry. Aim: As undergraduate students rely heavily on textbooks as an educational resource, an audit was conducted of nursing texts to determine the quality of pulse oximetry descriptions. Method: The audit was guided by questions based on the findings of research examining nurses’ understanding of pulse oximetry. Two researchers used these questions to appraise textbook content. Findings: A convenience sample of 32 contemporary nursing textbooks was appraised. Text descriptions of pulse oximetry varied from brief to more extensive, with the content ranging from superficial to detailed. Conclusion: Superficial, inconsistent or misleading information within basic nursing textbooks may be one factor associated with nurses’ knowledge deficits about pulse oximetry. Academics and nurse educators should appraise core content of textbooks carefully before recommending textbooks to nursing students.