nursing care for vital signs monitoring

vital signs monitor

The measurement of the most basic function of the body is termed as vital signs. Vital signs monitor is required to evaluate the body for any form of medical conditions. Vital signs can be measured at a medical room and also at home. Going by the meaning of vital it indicates that the measurement of the four below mentioned vital signs are necessary in order to know about the proper functioning of the body.

vital signs definition

To evaluate the health of a patient, vital signs chart is maintained by a medical professional or by a healthcare provider. As a part of the monitoring, the four vital signs are usually considered-

• The temperature of the body
• The pulse rate
• The rate of respiration
• Blood pressure.

Note that although blood pressure doesn’t fall under body vital, yet it is calculated while monitoring the other body functions. The meaning of vital collectively includes the monitoring of these four vitals.

what are vital signs?

The four different vitals are mentioned below-

Body Temperature: 

Although the normal body temperature varies based on the patient type, gender, food consumption etc. in general to indicate normal vital signs the temperature must be from 97 degrees F to 99 degrees F. The temperature of the body can again be taken in five different ways

• Orally
• Axillary
• Rectally
• By ear
• By skin

When the temperature of a body goes beyond the normal temperature it indicates a fever. On the contrary, a temperature below 95 degrees F is considered Hypothermia.

Pulse rate:

It is the measurement of the number of times the heart beats within a minute. The vital sign normal range for pulse rate is 60-100 beats per minute. The fluctuation of pulse rate is often seen among patients with illness, injury or change in emotion. Female adolescents and elderly ladies tend to have a higher pulse rate compared to males.

Respiration rate: 

It is the total number of breaths that are taken within a minute. To get the vital signs normal values for respiration rest, the patient needs to rest for a while before the rate is measured. The normal vitals for respiration rate are 12-16 breathes per minute. This rate, however, varies if the patient is having a fever or is suffering from any form of other medical issues.

Blood Pressure: 

At the time of contraction and relaxation of the heart the blood pushes against the wall of the artery. This pushing force is termed as blood pressure. When the heart contracts due to the pumping of the blood in the arteries the blood pressure is the highest. The pressure falls on its own when the heart relaxes. Two figures are calculated to measure blood pressure. The pressure inside the artery when the blood pump inside the body is known as the systolic pressure. Similarly, the pressure inside the artery when the heart relaxes is known as the diastolic pressure. Both the pressures are recorded by the unit mm Hg (millimeters of mercury).

At the time of contraction and relaxation of the heart the blood pushes against the wall of the artery. This pushing force is termed as blood pressure. When the heart contracts due to the pumping of the blood in the arteries the blood pressure is the highest. The pressure falls on its own when the heart relaxes. Two figures are calculated to measure blood pressure. The pressure inside the artery when the blood pump inside the body is known as the systolic pressure. Similarly, the pressure inside the artery when the heart relaxes is known as the diastolic pressure. Both the pressures are recorded by the unit mm Hg (millimeters of mercury).

Vital Signs Procedure

When a person gets admitted, usually there is no recorded vital signs chart to make a comparison. As the vital sign may vary depending on the type of patient, it is important for the doctor to know about the medical history of the patient. The vital sign will vary if there is any case of physical exertion. Before recording the vitals, a patient should avoid taking any form of tobacco, alcohol and caffeinated drinks prior to 30 minutes.

how can we help?

To know about in details about what is vital or regarding the vital signs procedure, you can contact Portea. All you need to do is surf your browser to book your appointment. We also provide services such as vital signs nursing that help you to deal with bedridden patients for whom hospitalization is a tough job.
Portea has been constantly providing all sort of medical needs for quite a long time and we have gained enough expertise to deal with every type of patients. We can also provide you with vitals monitor and that too at a very affordable price. Given us a try, there will be no reason to look back.