In an emergency situation of any level, assessing vital signs is one of the first things that should be done as plans for treatment are being made. While people with basic skills may not know exactly what to do with the information obtained from assessing vitals, saving information to give to health care providers can help them give a patient better care. Here are some tips for taking basic vital signs when another person is sick or injured. You will need a watch, plus a pencil and paper or other method for recording vitals.
Keep Track of Time
Be sure to keep track of time as you document the vital signs so you can make note of any developing trends. People who are seriously injured or gravely ill need to be reassessed every few minutes, while those who are stable can be checked every half-hour or every hour.
How to Ascertain Level of Responsiveness
The level of responsiveness indicates how well a person’s basic brain functions are working; the simplest way to begin checking level of responsiveness is to begin a conversation with the victim. If he or she is not capable of responding, then make a note that the person is “unresponsive.” If he or she can respond to you, then ask some basic questions after introducing yourself.
- What is your name?
- What day is it? Do you know about what time it is?
- Can you tell me where we are?
- What happened?
Use the answers you receive to gauge the patient’s basic orientation and level of alertness. If he or she can answer all four queries accurately, then condition is “A + Ox4” or “Alert and oriented to person, place, time, and event.” If the person seems anxious, irritable, sleepy, combative, or displays any other type of mental status, write that down as well.
Some people are alert, and verbal; others are alert and in a state of pain that makes rational responsiveness difficult. Make note of any such factors that could be causing disorientation.
Assessing Pulse
In an unconscious person, assess pulse on the carotid artery in the neck, placing two fingers gently on his trachea until you feel the pulse. In a conscious person, check the pulse radially, at the point where the base of his thumb meets his wrist. If you are pressing too hard or not hard enough, you may not feel the pulse; use moderately light pressure (find your own pulse to figure out how much pressure to use.) One you find the pulse, count the number of beats for 15 seconds, then multiply by four. This enables you to track beats per minute. A normal rate is somewhere between 60 and 100 beats per minute, and the rhythm should be strong and regular. If it is irregular or weak, or extremely elevated, be sure to keep checking frequently for changes.
Respiration
Respiration, or breathing, is measured by watching the rise and fall of the patient’s chest, abdomen, or shoulders for thirty seconds, doubling the count to get the number of breaths per minute. It’s best not to let someone know that you are watching his or her breaths, since the patient may change his rate of breathing and cause an inaccurate measurement. Make a note of any unusual breathing patterns; if the person is breathing irregularly, wheezing, or gasping, that’s important information. Most adults breathe between 12 and 18 times per minute under normal circumstances.
Skin Tone
When assessing the skin, you’ll be looking for three different characteristics: color, temperature, and moisture level.
Color varies from one person to the next, but in non-pigmented areas, such as inside the edge of the bottom lip, you can see whether a person is pink, pale, blue, red, yellow, or white. Use the abdomen to assess whether a person is warm and dry or not, since temperature and moisture here are more consistent than on the face or hands. Write down what you find and notice whether the person is shivering, sweating, or flushed.
While these are just basic vital signs and there are others you can learn to assess, these basics are easy to remember. Learn more by taking first aid classes or even by becoming a rescue diver. The more knowledge you have, the more you will be able to help others if needed.