Health Science Vital Signs

A nursing assistant notes a patient’s blood pressure to be 148/96. Which is the BEST action the assistant can take?

• Tell the patient the blood pressure reading
• Report the reading to the patient’s nurse
• Wait 15 minutes and repeat the procedure
• Immediately repeat the procedure in the other arm

You were assigned to take vital signs on an 80-year-old male nursing home resident who was recently admitted after having a stroke. Vital signs were B/P 130/90, T 99 .40 F, P 92, R 32. Which vital sign reflects a measurement within normal limits?

• Blood pressure
• Pulse
• Respirations
• Temperature

Of the following, which person is MOST likely to develop hypertension based on risk factors?

• Underweight 12-year-old Indian female student
• Obese 40-year-old African American male smoker
• 30-year-old Asian male distance runner who works as an air traffic controller
• 45-year-old Caucasian mother of triplets who is on a low carbohydrate diet

Which patient is the BEST candidate for an oral temperature?

• 1-year-old healthy infant
• 16-year-old receiving his annual physical exam
• 21-year-old patient on seizure precautions
• 62-year-old comatose patient

A patient with tachycardia MOST likely has a/an:

• Elevated temperature
• Elevated blood pressure
• Fast pulse
• Increased respiratory rate

The LEAST accurate route for measuring temperature is:

• Aural
• Axillary
• Oral
• Rectal

Which is considered an elevated temperature?

• Aural 37.2 C
• Axillary 38.4 C
• Oral 37 C
• Rectal 37.8 C

Pulse rates are most commonly measured at which site?

• Apical
• Brachial
• Carotid
• Radial

What is the respiratory rate of a patient who is observed to have 16 inspirations and 16 expirations?

• 8
• 16
• 32
• 64

In a blood pressure measurement of 132/86, the number 86 is the:

• Bradycardia
• Tachycardia
• Diastolic
• Systolic