This essay aims to provide a discussion of vital signs and how they are relevant to contemporary nursing practice. This is done by;
• Discussing what vital signs are and when are they used in practice.
• Why are vital signs relevant to contemporary nursing practice?
• How the skills are performed with the consideration of the NMC (2008) code of conduct.
• Discussing potential risk issues associated with using automated blood pressure/pulse machine in relation to contemporary practice.
• Summary of the main points discussed and stating my an interpretation on its relevancy to contemporary professional nursing practice
Vital signs are the observation of the body’s vital functions and show an evidence of the person’s health condition. It is used as an assessment by the nurses to assess the patient’s blood pressure, temperature, pulse and respiration (Ackbarally,2012). This occurs initially on admission or when they arrive at different health care settings such as; transfer from hospital to a nursing home, during an emergency situation to help observe the persons condition, before and after operation, before, during and after treatment, when the patients general condition alters and also according to the local or national data gathering (Endacott et al , 2009)
Nurses form an important role in influencing patient safety from everyday tasks and gradually obtaining the patient vital signs have increasingly been seen as a chore instead of collecting clinical evidence. This then creates an extreme danger to patient’s as irregular monitoring of vital signs prevented early detection of deterioration in a patient’s condition, which postpones transfer to intensive care unit ( Kyriacos U et al 2011; Boulanger, 2009). Due to this, a...
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...itoring vital signs in infants, children and young people [WWW] RCN . Available from http://www.rcn.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/114484/003196.pdf [Accessed 26/03/2013].
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The six standards of practice are very important. Under the first standard, assessment, the nurse evaluates health information related to the patient. This information could be a health issue such as asthma, or a psychological issue such as anxiety that is necessary knowledge needed before treatment can begin. Once this is accomplished the second standard, diagnosis, begins. Under this standard the nurse takes the information gained from the assessment and utilizes it to derive a diagnosis of the individual. The third standard, outcomes identification, has
There are events, subtle or otherwise, leading up to a critical change in health status. As nurses at the bedside, we must have strategies and protocols implemented in order to monitor changes in vital signs and trends leading towards a cardiac, respiratory, or neurologic event. In a hospital setting, patients are monitored for changes in condition, whether it be improvement or deterioration, allowing clinicians to decide the course of action to follow in their care.
... joy Mrs. L got from seeing her cat. Health in this scenario is shown mostly notably when Mrs. L got relief from Morphine and stated she knew she was going to die but felt “ok for now”. Health in this case was measured by an improvement in pain and not an absence of illness. Finally, nursing in this scenario is exemplified in many ways. In the paragraph above I begin by ensuring the patient’s confidentiality. Mrs. L was placed at the center of care. I collaborated with other nurses and all those in the environment to assure the best care possible. Through direct care, teaching and advocacy I delivered the exact type of care I would wish for myself, or someone I loved, if I were in Mrs. L’s place.
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Nurses have many different roles which include promoting health, preventing illness, and the daily care of patients in all different kinds of settings. It is important for nurses to treat the whole patient and address not only the acute concern but all factors that contribute to the patients’ health and well-being. We are each responsible for our health, and it is the role of the nurse to help their patients be accountable for their health. Nurses have also to ensure
In 2003 The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC 7) was released. Since then, it has become the most widely accepted guidelines for managing hypertension and is the guideline that i...
Traditionally nurse’s role in evaluating a patient has to record the observations made but not to interpret them. The main observation includes pulse, temperature, rate of respiratory, blood pressure and consciousness level (Alice, 1985). The ability of nurse to record such observations accurately will determine the priority of the patient care. Assessment based on priority setting is one of the major skills that nurses that are newly fit may lack. Th...
The staff will now have to rely heavily on technology to monitor delicate vital signs and feeding schedules as well as charting assessments. The large panoramic view of a room has been replaced with walls and a nurse watching a com...
(patient) and the Clinical Nurse Manager both parties agreed that the author could proceed. All information will be kept confidential and no names will appear on this assignment that could be traced back to the client or hospital. As a student nurse this will comply with the guidelines set out by An Bord Altranais (2009). All nurses should be able to account for the care they give, why they give the care and also an evaluation of the care they have given. Barett et al (2009) maintain that this is a core part of care planning.The Department of Health and Children (2001) has shown its commitment to organising care plans and the importance of them as was evident in the 'Primary Care A new Direction' health strategy.This identified the importance of discharge planning and and the development of individualised care plans following discharge. This assignment will cover a full assessment of a person whose care the author has managed in the clinical setting. Based on this assessment the author will compile a care plan focusing on two key nursing diagnoses derived from the nursing assessment. The author will list all nursing diagnosis related to this patient and give a rationale for each.
McIntyre, M. & McDonald, C. (2014). Nursing Philosophies, Theories, Concepts, Frameworks, and Models. In Koizer, B., Erb, G., Breman, A., Snyder, S., Buck, M., Yiu, L., & Stamler, L. (Eds.), Fundamentals of Canadian nursing (3rd ed.). (pp.59-74). Toronto, Canada: Pearson.
Nursing is a complex profession full of challenges and rewards. To grow as professionals, it is important that nurses know and understand the many theory’s that exists in nursing and respect their impact on the profession. It is essential for nurses to learn from past theorist for nursing to move forward. This paper will correlate the philosophy and values of two nursing theorist with a unique perspective of each concept and define the nursing metaparadigm.
Hypertension is a disease that effects a third of all Americans (American Heart Association [AHA], 2013, p. 1). The American heart association expects the number of patients living with hypertension to continue to rise (AHA, 2013). Reversing this trend will be of vital importance to the health of our population. Several factors influence hypertension, including access to primary preventative care, the availability of medications, diet and exercise control, diet modifications, and self-care are required to mitigate the effects of persistent hypertension on the body.
Complex care of patients provides the nurse with a myriad of decisions to be made-however, it must be remembered that although the
It is essential that the practice be dependent and based on nursing fundamentals. These concepts are the foundation of the profession, which have been proven to be tried-and-true. They offer guidance and assistance for those in the nursing profession, by way of providing knowledge and ideas. The fundamentals that are taught in modern day nursing stress the importance of individual needs, both in a psychological and physiological fashion. As society continues to evolve, so will the standards of this particular
Assessment is the accurate collection of comprehensive data pertinent to the patient’s health or the situation (“American Nurses Association,” 2010). Assessment is the first step in the nursing process and the most important. Assessment is the accurate collection of the patient’s health date including both subjective and objective information. Subjective data includes information that can only be described or verified by the patient. This may include chest pain, headache, or body aches. Objective date is data that can be observed and measured. This type of data is obtained using inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation during the physical exam. Objective data can also be provided through diagnostic testing. This is important for proper diagnosis, planning, and intervention. Examples of this may include vital signs, warm and moist skin, and coughing up yellow colored sputum.