Collect and Chart Vital Signs
Use patient evidence to collect and chart vital signs without overclaiming.
- Sign vs. symptom: Clinical data mixes measured findings with patient-reported history.
- Normal range comparison: Students need a reference range or baseline to tell whether a value is concerning.
Prerequisites are inferred: pending teacher review.
Re-learn the skill with worked practice and clear examples.
Compare a measured value to its normal range to decide if it is normal.
| Vital sign | Normal range | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Heart rate | 60-100 | beats per minute |
| Respiratory rate | 12-20 | breaths per minute |
| Temperature | about 37 | degrees Celsius |
| Oxygen saturation | 95 or higher | percent |
A patient's heart rate is charted as 80 beats per minute. Using the table, is this value inside the normal range?
Reviewed| Vital sign | Normal range | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Heart rate | 60-100 | beats per minute |
| Respiratory rate | 12-20 | breaths per minute |
| Temperature | about 37 | degrees Celsius |
| Oxygen saturation | 95 or higher | percent |
- A.Yes, 80 is inside the normal range of 60-100
- B.There is no way to tell without the patient's age
- C.No, 80 is below the normal range
- D.No, 80 is above the normal range
Show the worked solution ▾
Answer: A. Yes, 80 is inside the normal range of 60-100
- Step 1: Find the range: The table gives a heart-rate normal range of 60-100.
- Step 2: Compare: 80 is between 60 and 100, so it is inside the range.
Why it's right: The normal heart-rate range is 60-100, and 80 falls between them, so it is normal.
- B: The table gives one range for this chart, so 80 can be checked against it.
- C: 80 is greater than 60, so it is not below the range.
- D: 80 is less than 100, so it is not above the range.
Aligned to Biotechnology Research and Experiments · reading level ~grade 9
A resting adult is charted at 52 beats per minute against a normal range of 60 to 100. How should that value be recorded?
Reviewed- A.Impossible to judge without knowing the patient's temperature
- B.Inside the normal range, so no extra note is needed
- C.Above the normal range, so it is flagged for the clinician
- D.Below the normal range, so it is flagged for the clinician
Show the worked solution ▾
Answer: D. Below the normal range, so it is flagged for the clinician
- Step 1: Find the range: The normal band for heart rate runs from 60 to 100 beats per minute.
- Step 2: Place the value: 52 sits under the bottom of that band, so it is low, not high and not inside.
Why it's right: 52 is under 60, the bottom of the range, so the value is low and gets flagged.
- A: Temperature is charted separately and does not change where 52 falls in the heart rate band.
- B: 52 is under the bottom of the band, so it is not inside it.
- C: Above would mean over 100; 52 is under 60.
Aligned to Biotechnology Research and Experiments · reading level ~grade 9
- A nurse compares each measured vital sign to its normal range while charting.
Fill these in as you work through the lesson.
- Vital sign (a basic body measurement like heart rate or temperature):
- Normal range (the expected values for a healthy person):
- Unit (how the value is measured, e.g. beats per minute):
- Out of range (a value outside the normal range that should be flagged):
Chart each value in its correct , compare it to the normal , and flag any value outside the range.
- What unit goes with this vital sign?
- What is the normal range?
- Is the value inside or outside the range?
Use the vital-signs table to chart each value and flag the one outside its normal range.