What it means
The measurements that show how the body's most basic functions are working: temperature, heart rateHART RAYTHow many times the heart beats per minute.Full entry , respiratory rateRES-pur-uh-tor-ee RAYTThe number of breaths a person takes in one minute.Full entry and blood pressureBLUD PRESH-erThe force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries, written as systolic over diastolic in mm Hg.Full entry . Many agencies add saturationsach-uh-RAY-shunHow full something is; in nursing, usually the percentage of hemoglobin in the blood that is carrying oxygen.Full entry and pain. They are measured on admission, at set times and whenever a client's condition changes, and a change from the client's own earlier numbers matters as much as one number.
For the nurse
Measuring vital signs on a stable client can be delegated to a UAPyou-ay-pee (said as letters)Unlicensed assistive personnel: trained workers without a nursing license, such as nursing assistants, who help with client care.Full entry , but the nurse interprets them and acts on abnormal results. Recheck an unexpected value and compare it with earlier readings before acting, unless the client looks unwell.
In a chart
"VS: T 37.0 °C, P 82, R 16, BP 126/78, SpO2 97% RA."
At a glance
| Abbreviations | VS; T, P, R, BP (temperature, pulse, respirations, blood pressure) |
|---|---|
| Spanish | signos vitales |
| Also written | vital sign, vitals |
Related terms
pulse oximetry
A painless test that uses light through a finger, toe or earlobe to estimate how much oxygen the blood is carrying.
blood pressure
The force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries, written as systolic over diastolic in mm Hg.
heart rate
How many times the heart beats per minute.
respiratory rate
The number of breaths a person takes in one minute.