Written by: Yojan Mateo Perez.

Date: 13/09/2022

WHAT VITAL SIGNS ARE AND HOW TO TAKE THEM

VITAL SIGNS

TEMPERATURE
BLOOD
RESPIRATORY PRESSURE
RATE
HEART RATE

THE FOUR VITAL SIGNS ARE

1. Heart rate: it is measured by the pulse, in beats/minute.

2. Respiratory rate.
3. Arterial tension (blood pressure).
4. Temperature.
Why is it important to take vital signs?

Vital signs reflect essential body functions, including heart rate, breathing rate,
temperature and blood pressure. Your health care provider can observe, measure and
monitor your vital signs to assess your level of physical functioning.
What is the respiratory rate and how to take it?

The number of breaths per minute. It is usually measured at rest. It simply involves
counting the number of breaths for one minute by counting the number of times the
chest rises. The normal breathing rate for an adult person is between 12 and 20 breaths
per minute.
How to take your pulse

To take your pulse, do the following:

- With the tip of your index and middle finger, press firmly (but without forcing) on
the arteries until you feel a pulse.
 - Start counting the pulse when the second hand of the watch is at the number 12.
- Count the pulse for 60 seconds (or for 30 seconds and multiply the number of
beats by 2 to get the beats per minute).
- While counting, do not continually look at the watch; concentrate on the pulse
beats.
- If you are not clear on the result, ask someone else to count for you.
Ways to take body temperature

Body temperature can be measured in any of the following ways: Orally, in the rectum
(rectal route), in the armpit, in the ear, on the skin.
Recommendations for blood pressure measurement

- Do not converse. ...

- Support the arm at the level of the heart. Do not support the arm adds up to 10 mmHg.
- Place the cuff on the arm without clothing.
- Use the appropriate cuff size.
- Support the feet.
- Do not cross your legs.
- Have an empty bladder.
- Support your back.

Why should I monitor my blood pressure at home?

For people with high blood pressure, home monitoring allows your health care provider to
monitor your blood pressure change throughout the day, and from day to day. This may
also help your provider determine the effectiveness of your blood pressure medication.

Conclusion

It is very important to take vital signs, as they are baseline indicators of the patient's state
of health and a valuable tool for diagnosis and treatment.
Vital signs serve to assess the most basic bodily functions, and thus evaluate the level of
physical functioning of a person. Vital sign abnormalities are of great importance for the
diagnosis of certain diseases as well as for timely and accurate action.
Vital signs are a very valuable tool as indicators of the patient's functional status. The
recording of vital signs should not become an automatic or routine activity; the results
should be a reflection of reliable clinical assessment of the patient by the nurse, and their
proper and timely interpretation helps the nurse and the physician to decide on
management behaviors. The determination of vital signs is particularly important in
emergency services, where patients arrive with a wide variety of clinical conditions, some
In critical condition, and it is more than anything else vital, as its name implies, for health
professionals to perform it.
References

https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=85&Conten
tID=P03963#:~:text=Cuente%20el%20pulso%20durante%2060,persona%20que%20cuente
%20por%20usted.

https://www.google.com/search?q=toma+de+todos+los+signos+vitales&sxsrf=ALiCzsa2ci2
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