Work

A synthetic control evaluation of the use of pulse oximeters in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in England

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: OBJECTIVES: To measure the impact of the use of pulse oximeters in early detection of oxygen saturation deterioration for patients testing positive with COVID-19 in preventing emergency hospital utilisation and death. This intervention was rolled out across England (part of the United Kingdom) as the COVID Oximetry @home programme. DESIGN: Causal inference study informed by linked national administrative and surveillance data-sets to detect the difference in impact of the COVID Oximetry @home programme by comparing areas of the country with high uptake of the programme with areas with low uptake of the programme using generalised synthetic controls. SETTING: This intervention was rolled out across all Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) in England, administrative geographical areas often aligned with local authorities. All CCGs were invited to submit participation data to the National Health Service in England. Those CCGs that submitted complete data were included in the study. PARTICIPANTS: Patients registered with participating CCGs who tested positive for COVID-19, and where either 65 years of age or over, or clinically extremely vulnerable. OUTCOMES: A&E attendances, emergency admissions, admissions into critical care and mortality within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 diagnosis. RESULTS: No differences were detected in the rate of emergency hospital use or mortality between CCGs with high uptake and CCGs with low uptake. CONCLUSION: The lack of impact detected on all outcomes of interest may simply be due to an absence of impact. Factors that may have impacted the ability to detect an effect are the low uptake of the programme, heterogeneity in the implementation of the pathway, or design limitations of the study.

Source: PLoS ONE

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0337617

Authors: Stefano Conti, Paris Pariza, Arne Wolters

Institutions: National Health Service, Health Foundation, NHS England, Cumbria Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust

Language: English

Topic: COVID-19 Clinical Research Studies

Subfield: Infectious Diseases

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,382