Vital Sign Monitors For Home HealthcarePOSTED: October 11, 2010 at 11:58 am BY: Jack - Editor |
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There was once a time when first aid consisted of assessing a patient based on physical, outwardly apparent signs and symptoms, and treatment based on an educated guess of what was going on inside the patient. Today we have sophisticated medical supplies and equipment, but almost none is as instrumental in health care as vital sign monitors. Blood pressure can be taken using a traditional blood pressure cuff, and pulse can be checked manually, but how often? There are a variety of monitors available to instantly alert medical care providers to a change in a patient’s status. This can sometimes mean the difference between life and death.
The basic vital signs monitors measure the five main bodily functions, body temperature, pulse rate, respiration rate, blood pressure, and blood oxygen saturation.
Vital signs monitors enable healthcare professionals to evaluate their patients quickly, enabling them to progress to other tasks more efficiently and focus on improving the patient’s health. The advanced technology engineered in vital signs monitors makes them optimal for hospitals. However, because the basic vital signs monitors are compact and portable, they’re perfect for use in homes, clinics, at the sites of medical emergencies, etc. With this state-of-the-art equipment now available to the public, vital signs monitors will be increasingly used in the home as patients can be monitored by family and friends and receive treatment from healthcare professionals where the patient feels most comfortable. If you’re caring for someone at home, you’ll find the following information pertinent to your tasks.
Using vital signs monitors will provide critical information about a patient’s state of health. They are a way of quickly assessing how serious an illness is and how well the body is coping with the resulting biological stress. The more unstable the vital signs are, the sicker the patient is. Vital signs can also mark the state of chronic diseases (i.e. hypertension). When manually taking vital signs, it’s important to remember that the slightest error can have dramatic results. If there is user error or patient error, an accident or a mistake, false readings will occur. If these are not remedied quickly, improper decisions and treatment could possibly be carried out. However, using vital signs monitors will eliminate such errors. Nonetheless, it is of the utmost importance to understand exactly what you are measuring.
Thermometers can range from the basic mercury variety to more sophisticated electric thermometers. Body Temperature is checked in order to gauge how well the body stores and releases heat, detect abnormally high body temperature (hyperthermia) or abnormally low body temperature (hypothermia), and monitor the effectiveness of some medications. Though normal body temperature varies from person to person, the average is 98.6 °F. Temperatures may vary throughout the day, ordinarily being lowest in the morning and rising in the evening.
Pulse Rate is described as the number of beats per minute (bpm). Pulse rate is conventionally measured using a stethoscope and blood pressure cuff. The pulse rate provides clues about the function and health of the heart. It determines whether the heart is pumping blood adequately, and monitors certain symptoms such as palpitations, dizziness, fainting, chest pain, or shortness of breath. Pulse rate can also monitor medical conditions or the use of medications.
Respiration Rate, measured using a stethoscope, is the rate at which a person breathes. The best time to measure this is when a person is resting. The normal rate for adults is 12-24 breaths per minute.
Blood Pressure measures the force of blood inside an artery in two measurements, systolic pressure and diastolic pressure. Systolic pressure is when blood flow is first heard, representing peak blood pressure that occurs when the heart contracts. Diastolic pressure is when blood flow can no longer be heard, representing the lowest blood pressure that occurs when the heart relaxes between beats.
Blood Oxygen Saturation evaluates how well the lungs are providing oxygen to the blood during rest, exercise, or a medical procedure through the use of a pulse oximeter. It examines oxygenation and the saturation of hemoglobin in the blood.
There is a variety of patient monitors available, from the basic vital signs monitor to the advanced anesthetic monitor or 5 agent gas monitor, required for patients undergoing anesthesia. There are also many patient monitors that are multiparameter. One simple monitor widely used is the pulse oximeter monitor to detect the oxygen saturation, or SpO2, in the blood through the skin. A sensor with a special light is attached to the finger or earlobe for an almost instant reading.
When used in a hospital setting, monitors may be classified into basic categories. There are handheld and portable monitors which are useful when going on a round of patients. Defibrillator monitors are those which include an AED in the monitor itself. These are also usually portable, and are used often in EMS services. Tabletop monitors are not portable, but may include more features than those of the portable variety. Some of the bulkier Vital monitors are also networkable with other medical resources, although not all of them are. They also may be wired, or use wireless signals, depending on the specific model.
Another type of monitor, one that provides information by telemetry, is especially critical in cardiac units, and there is usually a need for a large number of these monitors. There must be extras to replace broken or damaged monitors or modules, so having a very large inventory is both essential and costly.
