Importance of Vital Signs Essay Example

the elbow. Another vital sign is respiration which measures the number of breaths a person takes per minute.

This is usually measured when a patient is at rest and it simply just consists of counting the number of breaths they take for a whole minute by counting the number of times their chest rises. These rates can increase with fever, illness, and with other medical conditions. It is important to note if the patient has any difficulty breathing. Measuring blood pressure is extremely important as well. It is the measurement of the force of the blood pushing against the artery walls. A blood pressure cuff and a stethoscope is what are used to measure this.

While taking you blood pressure two numbers are recorded; Systolic pressure and Diastolic pressure. Systolic pressure is the higher number that refers to the pressure inside the artery when the heart contracts and pumps blood through the body. Diastolic pressure is the lower number and refers to the pressure inside the artery when the heart is at rest and is filling with blood. Having high blood pressure can increase the risk of coronary heart disease (i. e. heart attack, stroke). Pain is the last vital sign but it important because it reveals a lot about a person’s health.

It not only affects a person’s physical health but their mental health as well. Things like mood, activity, sleep, hygiene, appetite, and the ability to focus and concentrate. Experiencing pain varies between everyone because what may be excruciating to someone may seem moderate to the other. Doctors may ask questions like Where is the pain? What kind of pain

is it: sharp, dull, aching, throbbing, shooting burning, etc.? When did it start? What makes it worse? What helps ease it? , and How does it affect your life?