Monitoring Of Vital Signs

Vital signs are a set of measurements which are necessary for the general clinical picture of the patient in order to determine, several times, the administration of appropriate medicines. All the necessary measurements of vital signs are carried out at the patient’s home or place of residence.

Vital signs measurements include:

• Blood pressure measurement
• Oxymetry
• Heart beats/pulse measurement
• Blood sugar measurement
• Temperature
• Breaths/ auditory examination with a stethoscope
• The above vital signs measurements are recorded by an experienced and registered nurse.

The measurement and recording of a vital sign shall be as follows:

Temperature: Normal body temperature ranges from 36°C to 37.4 °C. Temperature can be measured in the mouth (the thermometer is placed under the tongue), under the armpit, in the ear, on the forehead and in the rectum.

Apart from analogue and digital thermometers, infrared temperature measurement sensors can be used to measure temperature.

Breaths. In healthy adults, and under normal conditions, the number of breaths is 16-20 per minute. The rhythm, frequency and depth of breaths are evaluated in order to assess respiratory function.

Heartbeats. The elements of the arterial pulse that are assessed are frequency, rhythm and range of the pulse. The normal heart rhythm is sinus rhythm.

Arterial Pressure. Systolic pressure must not exceed 120 mmHg and systolic pressure 80 mmHg.

The expected duration of monitoring and recording of vital signs varies depending on various factors, such as the patient’s cooperation with the nurse. The whole process usually lasts a few minutes.

The process of monitoring and recording vital signs is generally easy, fast and done responsibly by experienced nurses.

Generally, it is unlikely to cause the patient pain while monitoring and recording vital signs. Under no circumstances will unnecessary discomfort be caused to the patient

As a rule, monitoring and recording vital signs are carried out in order to immediately inform the treating physician in cases of deviations in the values of vital signs from the normal range of values. Vital signs are always monitored and recorded either following the doctor’s orders or due to a nursing assessment.

As a rule, the recording of vital signs enables the attending physician to safely determine the patient’s further treatment. This process is beneficial because it contributes to the diagnosis, as far as possible, to the identification of the exact problem the patient is facing and assists in the determination of the best possible treatment by the attending physician.