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

• Temperature

• Respiratory rate

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:

• Oral

• Rectal

• Tympanic

• Axillary

Pulse rates are most commonly measured at which site?

• Apical

• Brachial

• Radial

• Carotid

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

• 8

• 16

• 24

• 32

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

• Bradycardia

• Tachycardia

• Diastolic

• Systolic

Before taking vital signs on a patient, what should you do FIRST?

• Close the privacy curtain

• Explain the procedure

• Introduce yourself

• Place the call bell within reach