Vital Signs Quiz

A patient states that they just drank some coffee a minute ago. You should…

• Proceed with their vital signs.
• Come back to do vital signs in a little bit.
• Just listen to the lungs and take their temperature.
• Just listen to the lungs and not return.

An adult patient is breathing 25 breaths per minute. This is…

• Just right
• Way too slow
• Too fast
• Slightly slower than normal

Which blood pressure would be considered normal?

• 145/87
• 136/72
• 115/68
• 94/46

When you first looked at the patient, their pulse was 75. You check back in on them 2 hours later, their pulse is now 40. You should…

• Document your findings and move on
• Notify your superior for help
• Note that there is a change in their chart
• Tell the patient that there is a change

What does the word "vital" mean?

• normal
• baseline
• important
• routine

When you check a patient's vital signs, they are abnormal. You should...

• document them and move on.
• not document them and pretend they never happened.
• tell your best friend that works on the same unit as you.
• alert the doctor that they had abnormal vital signs.

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. Which of the following are vital signs?

• Pulse
• Blood pressure
• Temperature
• Height
• Weight

Karen begins to overreact about how long she will need to stay in the hospital. When you arrived for your shift earlier, you remember documenting her at 16 breaths per minute. As she continues to panic, she is now breathing at 40 breaths per minute. You should...

• tell her, "Don't have a cow, man!"
• document this as normal. It is Karen after all and she can be very dramatic.
• inform the doctor of the change and await new orders.
• allow her family to help calm her down and continue with your patient rounds.

Which of the following indicates the WRONG way to take a blood pressure?

• 
• 
• 
• 
• All options show proper technique when taking a manual blood pressure.

What is the proper way to assess respiration rate?

• Explain to your patient that you are going to be assessing the number of breaths they take in a minute.
• Tell your patient to take several deep breaths so you can evaluate the quality of breath.
• Count the number of breaths they take as you are taking their pulse so they don't know what you are doing.
• Place your hands on their back while they breath to feel for any unusual rattling in the chest.