Vital signs and assessment
How to measure temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressure and oxygen saturation correctly; pain and early-warning scales.
12 pages
Procedure
Safe practice
Assessment
- Counting respirations without the patient noticingBreaths are counted right after the pulse, fingers still on the wrist, so the patient does not…
- Early warning scores (NEWS2) and when to escalateNEWS2 scores six vital signs plus oxygen use; the higher the total, the more urgent the response…
- Measuring blood pressure correctly: cuff size, position and common errorsBlood pressure is measured with the right cuff size, the patient seated and rested, the arm…
- Measuring body temperature: sites, devices and techniqueTemperature is taken by the route that suits the patient best, with the right technique for that…
- Measuring the pulse: radial, apical and the pulse deficitThe pulse is counted with the finger pads over the radial artery for a full minute, and checked…
- Neurological checks: level of consciousness, pupils and the Glasgow scaleNeuro checks repeat the same assessment (consciousness, orientation, Glasgow, pupils) at set…
- Pain assessment scales: numeric, visual analogue, faces, behavioural (FLACC) and in dementiaPain is measured first by what the patient says; if they cannot say, by a behavioural scale…
- Pulse oximetry at the bedside: placement and pitfallsA pulse oximeter gives an estimate: it is reliable only on a warm, well-perfused site and read…
- Vital signs in nursing: when, how often and how to record themNurses measure vital signs on admission, as often as ordered and whenever the patient changes…
- Weight, height and daily weightsDaily weights are useful only if taken the same way each day: same scale, same time of day and…
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Educational content for students; it does not replace your institution's protocols, supervised clinical training or a prescriber's order. Dose-calculation examples use made-up numbers: they are educational, not a clinical order.
Representative model, for educational purposes only.