How to use a pulse oximeter at home
Other platforms explain it with text and video. In Making Synapses you practice it on the patient.
A home pulse oximeter helps if used the same way each time and combined with how the patient feels.
Step by step
Rest
Sit for 5 minutes. [1]
Warm hand
Remove nail polish; hand at heart level. [1]
Steady
Keep still until the number is steady (about a minute). [1]
Log
Write the number and time. [1]
Limits
Readings can be falsely high in darker skin; watch symptoms too. [1]
When to call
Below the target your clinician gave, or breathlessness, chest pain or confusion. [1]
Common errors
- Cold fingers.
- Moving.
- Ignoring symptoms with a normal number.
Practice it in Making Synapses
In Making Synapses you do this on the patient, not on paper: every step goes on the checklist with a score, and in Teach mode Blocky tells you what comes next.
Making Synapses cases that train this skill
- Acute respiratory distress syndrome
- COPD with pneumonia
- COPD exacerbation
- HIV with Pneumocystis pneumonia
- Ventilator patient transfer
- Atrial flutter
21 Making Synapses cases train this skill: open the case library
Sources
- Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College) (CC BY 4.0)
- OpenStax, Clinical Nursing Skills (reference)
Steps adapted from Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Facts and steps also follow OpenStax, Clinical Nursing Skills (reference). Making Synapses is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.