A pulse oximeter can identify patients who aren’t getting enough oxygen and need hospital treatment. Robin Scott, a nurse practitioner in Marshall County, has treated several patients at home with pulse oximeters and, in some cases, portable oxygen.
Before COVID, she said she would always send patients to the hospital when their oxygen levels dropped below 90. Now she has learned to manage some of her patients at home with portable oxygen. She started ordering oxygen and breathing treatments for some patients who refused to go to the hospital.
“They’re terrified,” Scott said. “They are absolutely terrified of this virus and being ventilated and dying and this is all very scary for them.”…
Leslie Wright and her husband Mark Hopper both became sick with COVID in November. Scott coached Wright through her illness at home, checking in frequently and prescribing medication to treat different symptoms.
