Abstract
This study was aimed at clarifying how nurses make the decision to detach the pulse oximeter from toddlers who are hospitalized with acute respiratory disease. A descriptive qualitative design approach was used. The participants were primarily eight ward nurses, five toddlers who had acute respiratory disease, together with their families, two outpatient nurses, and four pediatricians. The five distinctive cases were analyzed through participant observation, interviews, and data obtained from medical records. The nurses would longitudinally monitor the condition of the toddlers who were hospitalized for acute respiratory disease and who wore a pulse oximeter until the lower limit of the amplitude of their oxygen saturation had risen, the range had decreased, and normal values were being maintained. At the same time, to ascertain the toddlers' breathing strength, which was not necessarily in proportion to their activity, the nurses would watch and listen, and get a good grasp of the toddlers' breathing condition and state of health in relation to the numbers. After becoming confident in their observations without relying solely on the numbers, the nurses knew that it was time to remove the pulse oximeter from the toddler.
