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The federal government is on the brink of a shutdown, and this has a lot of people worried. Not only are they worried because of financial challenges, but some federal government employees are worried about the unseen challenges that are not apparent to most people and even the media outlets. Every agency in the federal government serves a particular purpose, and the shutdown of the government would have ripple effects all throughout different industries in our economy. One overlooked aspect is the health of individuals who rely on research work currently done. Some individuals are actual participants, and therefore a possible shutdown could affect their healthcare needs in addition to financially. The congress and the president are in close negotiations over budgeting, but an agreement is still far from being achieved. In the United States, there are easily over 5,000 individuals who participate in experimental medications and procedures for research, and these programs are also in jeopardy of shutting down. In order to prepare these individuals if a shutdown of the government was to occur, program leaders are handing out certain medical devices and products which are meant to aid their patients. One such medical product is a pulse oximeter. A pulse oximeter, also known as a pulse ox by some medical professionals, is a medical device used to measure the blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate of an individual. Programs which are focusing their research and development on respiratory illnesses are the programs that are giving their patients a pulse pulse oximeter. Doctors of these patients want their patients to monitor their oxygen levels on a daily basis, and track this information for a couple of reasons. The first and foremost reason is to monitor their health to avoid any medical emergency. The second reason is to provide this information to the doctors of the programs once the government is back in business. A pulse oximeter is a well used medical device amongst medical professionals, emergency responders, athletes, and millions of home patients. The advance of recent technology has paved way for the product to shrink in size to a device that simply clips onto one’s fingertip. Many government officials are against a shutdown, and are working hard to avoid it completely, but it is a two way street and all parties must actively participate to get the job done. The ripple effects of a government shutdown would reach millions of people, and not just federal government employees.
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pulse oximeter, oximeter, government shutdown,
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