Make sure to take your pulse oximeter reading whilst sitting quietly and comfortably. Place your clean finger into the device and try to stay as still as possible. Keep your hands as steady as you can and avoid shaking the device. Wearing false nails or nail varnish may affect the accuracy of your reading. All of the pulse oximeters we tested are considered personal use oximeters. Though some doctors may hesitate to recommend that their patients use a personal oximeter given their varying degrees of accuracy, others believe it can be a useful tool as long as their patients know how to use it correctly. Dr. Mavunda says these oximeters are usually small, portable clips that fit on your finger and can be a good way to monitor your health at an affordable cost, right from your home.

Accare’s Pulse Oximeter didn’t receive a score below 4.5 for any attributes, ranking highest for setup and ease of use with five out of five stars. We found the setup very minimal as it only required adding batteries before being good to go, while it’s designed for one-button operation for easy use. We even found it comfortable for those who may have visual impairments as its display featured bright red numbers that are clear and readable. The display also shows when the battery is running low so you can plan ahead, though the battery life lasts up to 40 hours. Shah S, Majmudar K, Stein A, et al. Novel use of home pulse oximetry monitoring in COVID-19 patients discharged from the emergency department identifies need for hospitalization. Acad Emerg Med. 2020;27(8):681-692. The device clips directly to your earlobe instead of a finger. You must rub your ear lobe vigorously for at least 5 seconds before attaching the clip and ensure it’s correctly positioned to cover the light sensors. If you don’t position it properly, you may get an inaccurate reading. Don’t rely solely on a piece of medical equipment to tell you when something is wrong. Pay attention to other signs of low blood oxygen levels, such as:All monitors have an electronic result display. There are at least two readings on a pulse oximeter—oxygen saturation percentage, abbreviated as SpO2, and pulse rate. The resting heart rate for a typical adult ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute (often lower for athletes)—although a healthy resting heart rate is typically well below 90 beats per minute. Luks AM, Swenson ER. Pulse oximetry for monitoring patients with COVID-19 at home. Potential pitfalls and practical guidance. Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2020;17(9):1040-1046. A licensed physician and surgeon practicing family medicine from our Medical Expert Board then reviewed the contents of this article for medical accuracy surrounding what to look for in pulse oximeters, how to use them, and how best to interpret their readings. If you're ever instructed to buy a pulse oximeter to monitor your blood oxygen levels at home, you'll want to be sure the model you've chosen is effective and accurate. If you need to use it regularly, it'll help if it's comfortable too. The average oxygen saturation level for healthy individuals is between 95% and 100%, although people with chronic lung conditions may have a reading below 95%. A reading below 90% is considered a medical emergency and requires immediate treatment by a medical professional.

Research has found that some people with the COVID-19 virus develop ‘silent hypoxia’ – a condition where oxygen levels in the body are very low without showing obvious symptoms. A pulse oximeter can help you measure and monitor your blood oxygen levels at home. Blood oxygen levels may be lower in some people with chronic lung conditions even when they are well. Because blood oxygen readings can fluctuate widely in response to movement, and because we did not have a medical grade pulse oximeter to compare results with, we decided we did not have the resources to give a valid accuracy rating. Instead, we determined each device’s “reading consistency”. We took recorded each reading and took the standard deviation of the four readings to determine the reading consistency. If your pulse oximeter...gives a normal reading but you do not feel well, you should seek medical attention,” advises Dr. Medbery. It should be noted that there is a huge variation in the accuracy of commercially available pulse oximeters. A 2018 study in the European Respiratory Journal reports that overall, commercially available pulse oximeters give an accurate reading of oxygen saturation—but how accurate varies among devices. Dass recommends testing out your personal oximeter at your doctor’s office so you can compare its readings to the ones taken by your doctor’s device.

Methodology: How We Picked the Best Pulse Oximeters of 2023

If you're feeling otherwise fine and your reading is outside the normal range, this isn't always a sign of a health problem. While oxygen levels should remain at 90 per cent or higher, your heart rate may be affected by your activity. Make sure you're warm and relaxed and try again, or speak to your GP with any concerns. And remember, even the best NHS-approved pulse oximeters need their batteries changing now and then. For home use, the most common type is the fingertip pulse oximeter. Follow manufacturer guidelines for proper use because not all models are the same, but typically, you sit still, clip the small device to your fingertip and wait for your reading to appear in less than a minute. Some models are meant for adult use only while others can be used on children. Your oximeter should have a clear place where the SpO2 reading is displayed, which will show you the percentage of oxygen in your blood. Unless your provider has told you otherwise, an SpO2 reading of lower than 95 percent warrants communication with your provider ASAP. Khan Y, Han D, Pierre A, et al. A flexible organic reflectance oximeter array. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2018;115(47):E11015-E11024.