Evaluation of an enhanced pulse oximeter auditory display: a simulaion study

BACKGROUNDWe compared anaesthetists' ability to identify haemoglobin oxygen saturation (SpO2) levels using two auditory displays: one based on a standard pulse oximeter display (varying pitch plus alarm) and the other enhanced with additional sound properties (varying pitch plus tremolo and acoustic brightness) to differentiate SpO2 ranges. METHODSIn a counter-balanced crossover study in a simulator, 20 experienced anaesthetists supervised a junior colleague (an actor) managing two airway surgery scenarios: once while using the enhanced auditory display and once while using a standard auditory display. Participants were distracted with other tasks such as paperwork and workplace interruptions, but were required to identify when SpO2 transitioned between pre-set ranges (target, low, critical) and when other vital signs transitioned out of a target range. They also identified the range once a transition had occurred. Visual displays were available for all monitored vital signs, but the numerical value for SpO2 was excluded. RESULTSParticipants were more accurate and faster at detecting transitions to and from the target SpO2 range when using the enhanced display (100.0%, 3.3 s) than when using the standard display plus alarm (73.2%, 27.4 s) (P