Vital Signs Review

Your patient is considerably overweight. As you measure the patient's body weight, what should you do?

• Record the patient's weight in the chart and allow the physician to discuss it with the patient.

• Tell the patient that they have gained weight since their last appointment and suggest diet and exercise.

• Tell the patient the weight measurement, despite being in a busy area of the office.

• Attempt to put the patient at-ease by saying something like, "I never would have guessed that!"

Which of the following is the most important indicator of health of the body?

• Level of consciousness

• Color of the skin and size of the pupils

• Vital signs

• Pain and the patient's reaction to stimuli

Which of the following describes correct technique for measuring height and weight?

• Keep your hand on the patient's shoulder while recording the weight.

• Infants are buckled onto infant scales to prevent falls.

• Raise the scale's height bar while the patient is standing on the scale platform.

• Read the weight when the balance bar is centered between the upper and lower guides.

Which of the following measurements can be used to record height?

• Inches

• Feet

• Centimeters

• All of the Above

Which of the following is true of vital signs?

• Vital signs are the only indicators of a patient's health.

• Measurement of pain isn't necessary if you have already measured the patient's vital signs.

• You will rarely need to measure a patient's vital signs

• It is critical you know how to measure vital signs accurately.

What are the four main vital signs?

• Temperature, pulse, respirations, and blood pressure

• Consciousness, temperature, pulse, and respirations

• Temperature, pulse, size of pupils, and respirations

• Temperature, pain, pulse, and blood pressure

Which of the following is true of height and weight measurements?

• Abnormalities are not a reliable indicator of disease.

• They can be used to monitor growth, dose medication, and order lab tests.

• There is one height-weight chart for both males and females

• An infant growth chart is used to document only infant weight

Vital signs are often the first indication of a disease or abnormality in the patient.

• True

• False

Rate is the number of beats per minute

• True

• False

Rhythm is the regularity of pulse and/or respirations

• True

• False