Vital Signs

Vital signs are typically obtained prior to the patient being seen by the provider. Vital signs include temperature recorded in Celsius or Fahrenheit, pulse, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation using a pulse oximeter.

The order of obtaining vital signs is based on the patient and their situation. Health care professionals often place the pulse oximeter probe on the patient while proceeding to obtain their pulse, respirations, blood pressure, and temperature. However, in some situations this order is modified based on the urgency of their condition. For example, if a person loses consciousness, the assessment begins with checking their carotid pulse to determine if cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is required.

After obtaining a patient’s vital signs, it is important to immediately analyze the results, recognize deviations from expected normal ranges, and report deviations to the provider.

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