Clear a client for activity

Use a client's oxygen saturation to decide whether it is safe to clear them for hard activity.

Builds on (2 levels back)inferred · high confidence

Reading a percentage: Oxygen saturation is reported as a percent; you must read and compare percentages to use it.
Comparing a value to a cutoff: Clearing someone means comparing their number to a safe threshold, so you must compare a value to a cutoff.

Prerequisites are inferred: pending teacher review.

Re-learn the skill with worked practice and clear examples.

Oxygen saturation of 95% or higher is normal and clears a client for hard activity; a reading below about 90% is concerning, so the client is not cleared.

Step 1: Know the normal range

A healthy oxygen saturation is about 95% to 100%. At or above 95%, the blood is carrying plenty of oxygen for activity.

Step 2: Know the warning level

When the reading drops below about 90%, too little oxygen is being carried. That is concerning and is not safe for hard exertion.

Step 3: Make the decision

Compare the client's reading to the cutoff: 95% or higher clears them; below about 90% means do not clear them and follow up.

Practice

Using the rule that oxygen saturation of 95% or higher is normal and below about 90% is concerning, which client should NOT be cleared for hard activity?

Reviewed

Client	Oxygen saturation
Client A	98%
Client B	96%
Client C	88%

A.Client A, at 98%
B.Client B, at 96%
C.Client C, at 88%
D.None of them: all are safe

Show the worked solution ▾

Answer: C. Client C, at 88%

Step 1: Compare each to 95%: Client A (98%) and Client B (96%) are at or above 95%, which is normal.
Step 2: Find the concerning one: Client C is 88%, which is below about 90%: concerning, so not cleared.

Why it's right: 88% is below the roughly 90% warning level, so Client C is not cleared for hard activity.

Why the others miss:

A: 98% is normal, so Client A is cleared.
B: 96% is at or above 95%, so Client B is cleared.
D: Client C's 88% is concerning, so not everyone is safe.

Aligned to Human Body Systems: clearing by oxygen saturation · reading level ~grade 9

Where you'd see this

A clinic posts an oxygen-saturation cutoff so staff make the same clear / do-not-clear call for every client.

Careers that use this

Registered Nurse: Checks oxygen saturation against safe cutoffs before letting a recovering patient walk or exert themselves.

Video library

Watch: Clear a client for activity

What Is a Pulse Oximeter?

Cleveland Clinic · ~2 min

Guided notes

Fill these in as you work through the lesson.

Big idea: Oxygen saturation tells you what percent of the blood's carrying capacity is filled with oxygen; a normal reading clears a client for activity, while a low reading does not.

Key terms: write the meaning

Oxygen saturation (percent of blood oxygen-carrying spots that are filled):
Pulse oximeter (clip-on device that reads SpO2):
Threshold (the cutoff number you compare to):
Cleared (judged safe to do the activity):

The rule

Oxygen saturation of % or higher is normal and clears a client for hard activity; a reading below about % is concerning, so the client is cleared.

Check yourself

What does an oxygen saturation percent actually measure?
What is the normal cutoff that clears someone for hard activity?
Below about what reading would you NOT clear a client?

Work one example

Three clients have oxygen saturations of 98%, 95%, and 88%. Using the rule that 95% or higher is normal and below about 90% is concerning, decide who is cleared for hard activity and who is not.