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Vital Signs

Vital signs, including temperature, pulse, respiration, and blood pressure, are essential for assessing a patient's health status and response to treatment. They should be measured during patient admission, routinely in hospitals, and when a patient's condition changes. Neglecting vital signs can lead to severe consequences, including patient mortality, highlighting the need for proper assessment and documentation.

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7 views15 pages

Vital Signs

Vital signs, including temperature, pulse, respiration, and blood pressure, are essential for assessing a patient's health status and response to treatment. They should be measured during patient admission, routinely in hospitals, and when a patient's condition changes. Neglecting vital signs can lead to severe consequences, including patient mortality, highlighting the need for proper assessment and documentation.

Uploaded by

neupaneswasti111
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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VITAL SIGNS

Vital signs
Measurement of the body’s most basic functions.
What are vital signs?
• Temperature, pulse, respiration and blood
pressure reading are known as vital signs.

• Measurement of the vital signs provides data


to determine a patient’s usual state of health
and response to physical and psychological
stress and medical therapy.
Why we need to measure Vital signs?
• To assess the health status of an individual.
• To plan and implement the health care to
patient.
• To understand the effectiveness of the
treatment.
• To modify or change the mode of treatment.
When we measure vital signs?
• On patient’s admission to a health care facility.
• In hospital on routine schedule according to
hospital policy.
• Before and after any surgical procedure.
• Before and after any invasive diagnostic
procedure.
• When the patient’s general physical condition
changes. Example loss of consciousness or
increased intensity of pain.
What equipment is used to measure vital
signs?
• Blood pressure devices
• Stethoscope

• Patient monitor

• Thermometer
• Pulse

• Sphygmomanometer
• Vital sign sheet

• Second hand watch

• Red and blue pen

• Disposable gloves if available


What are the normal range of vital signs?

• Temperature = 37°C ( 98.6°F)


• Pulse = 72- 100 beat/min
• respiration = 16-18 beat per minute
• Blood pressure = 120/80 mm hg
• Temperature = oral – 98.6°F
• Rectum – 99.6°F
What are the guidelines for measuring vital
signs?
• The health person caring for the client is
responsible for vital sign measurement.

• Equipment should be functional and


appropriate for the size and the age of the
client.

• Knowing the normal range of each vital signs


helps to detect abnormalities.
• Know the client’s medical history, therapies
and prescribed medication. Some illness or
treatments cause predictable vital sign
changes.

• Use an organized, systemic approach when


measuring vital signs.
Negligence of vital signs assessment resulted
in patient mortality.

• Research has found vital signs assessment is


often sparse, respiratory rate is often not
recorded or is simply estimated, vital signs are
poorly document and abnormal vital signs are
not being acted upon.
Factors found to contribute to the neglect of
vital signs assesment includes :

• How experienced the nurse is.

• Postgraduate qualification.

• The perception that vital signs assessment is


unnecessary in low risk patients.

• An absence of formal guidelines.


Media reports highlighted the potentially devastating
consequences of vital signs not being rigorously assessed
including avoidable death.
Thank you

By : Swastika Neupane
BPH – Second semester
Asian college for advance studies

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