In the healthcare environment it is essential that many individuals know how to accurately perform a basic assessment of vital signs. Vital Signs is designed to help learners master the skills and knowledge necessary to complete temperature, pulse, respiration, and blood pressure assessments.

This multimedia program stresses the development of psychomotor as well as cognitive skills. It includes basic information about the body systems involved, including normal readings, variations from normal, methods used to assess each vital sign, and detailed, step-by-step descriptions explaining how to perform the assessment techniques. Each vital sign is divided into four sections: basics, variations, measurement, and assessment.

Vital Signs includes descriptions of sites where vital signs can be assessed; explanations of variations in vital signs, including rate, rhythm, volume and sound disturbances; comparisons of various devices used to assess vital signs, including thermometers, stethoscopes, and sphygmomanometers; demonstration of oral, rectal, axillary and tympanic temperature readings; demonstrations of apical and radial pulse measurement; visualization and auscultation of respiration; mercury and aneroid manometer assessment of blood pressure; and practice in assessing each vital sign, including reading thermometers, counting apical and radial pulses, counting respirations and listening to blood pressures measured on mercury and aneroid manometers. Opportunities for practice, summaries, and quizzes are also included.

Pulse

This program presents the underlying physiology of pulse and the principles related to the influence of constant factors such as age, gender and circadian rhythm, and the periodic factors including exercise, emotions, pain, body temperature, drugs, blood fluid and composition and illness.

Descriptions of various pulse sites and the rationale for choosing them are highlighted. These include apical, temporal, carotid, brachial, femoral, popliteal, posterior tibial, and dorsalis pedis pulses.

A quiz challenges the learner with application questions and feedback.

Temperature

This program presents principles related to the influence of factors on temperature including age, circadian, rhythm, hormones, excercise, environmental temperatures, emotions, and illness.

Sites for temperature measurement are described with indications and contraindications for use including oral site, axillary site, rectal site, and tympanic site.

A quiz encourages learners to apply the information that has been presented.

Respiration

This program presents the underlying physiology of respiration. It offers definitions of normal breathing, abdominal or diaphragmatic breathing, and thoracic or costal breathing.

It presents principles related to the influence of constant factors such as as age, gender and circadian rhythm, and the periodic factors of exercise, pain, body temperature, drugs, blood volume and composition, concious will and illness.

A quiz challenges learners with application questions and feedback.

Blood Pressure

This program presents the underlying physiology related to blood pressure, a description of blood pressure including the Korotkoff sounds, and the recording of a blood pressure reading.

Principles related to the influence of constant factors such as age, gender, circadian rhythm, and ethnicity as well as the periodic factors of exercise, emotions, temperature, drugs, blood volume and composition, body position, measurement, site, body weight and illness are described.

The most common sites for blood pressure measurement are introduced and include the brachial artery and popliteal artery.

A quiz challenges the learner with application questions and feedback.

Objectives

• Identify the factors that influence vital signs.
• Explain variations in vital signs and their significance.
• Describe the equipment commonly used to measure vital signs.
• Assess vital signs in a skills laboratory or clinical setting with assistance.