Vital signs are important for measuring a patient’s overall well-being, with medical professionals using graphs to track progress. Four vital signs are measured: blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, and body temperature. Comprehensive charts should list pertinent medical information, including a pain scale. Different types of charts have advantages and disadvantages, but careful data entry is essential.
Vital signs are important medical tools that measure a patient’s overall well-being. Vital signs graphs allow medical professionals to record and track the progress or decline of these measurements. Hospitals use a variety of methods to track marks, including computer software, charts, and forms to fill out. While medical facilities are generally free to choose with the types of vital signs charts that work best for their needs, it’s important to stick to one type for the length of a patient’s stay to avoid confusion or chart errors.
Medical staff measure four different vital signs, or “signs of life,” when evaluating and treating patients. These include blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate and body temperature. A baseline reading is established when the patient first enters the facility and measurements are repeated at intervals throughout the patient’s stay. Severely injured or critically ill patients may have their vital signs measured every 15 minutes, while stable patients may only have two or three measurements per day. Each reading is recorded on an individual vital signs chart.
While every vital sign has a set level that is considered normal, every patient is different and some medical conditions can skew the readings. To account for these differences, comprehensive vital signs charts should list pertinent medical information about the patient, including a history of heart disease, high blood pressure, or shortness of breath. The graphs should also note medications, recent surgeries, and other factors that may skew the readings.
Along with the four basic signs, many medical facilities include a pain scale on their vital signs charts. Each patient has their own pain threshold and exceeding that threshold can alter vital signs. For example, a patient with a severe amount of pain may experience elevated blood pressure and a faster heart rate. Pain is typically measured on a scale of one to ten, but it can also be measured with facial expressions that represent different levels of pain. This type of pain scale is especially helpful with children.
The different types of vital signs charts offer various advantages and disadvantages. An electronic record maintained on a computer network allows different areas of the facility to access patient records without the need for cumbersome binders, but the lack of hard copies can be devastating if the network is compromised. A graph allows medical personnel to visually monitor the rises and falls of vital signs, but one misplaced dot can skew the entire reading. Fill-in charts make it easier for medical staff to make sure they’ve carefully recorded every vital sign, but can make it easier to miss something important if a page is accidentally skipped. Whichever method medical facilities choose to use, being careful when entering information and protecting against common human error is essential to maintaining proper vital signs graphs.
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