Evaluation of the Methods Used for the Vital Signs Measurement in Hospitalized Patients

Abstract

In general, vital signs measurements which includes measurement of blood pressure, body temperature, pulse and oxygen levels provide very important information about the health status of the hospitalized patients and the effects of treatment. Measurements and documentation of the vital signs carried out by nurses at hospitals. In this study, the methods used in vital signs measurements of hospitalized patients were evaluated by observations and interviews at a foundation university hospital and the advantages and disadvantages of the existing technologies were determined. As a result of interviews with healthcare providers and observations, it was determined that vital signs measurements of hospitalized patients were performed by 2 different methods. The mean time of vital signs measurements were determined as 3 minutes and 4 seconds (SD: 00:31) in medical treatment patients, 2 minutes and 11 seconds (SD: 00:18) in surgical patients, and 2 minutes and 37 seconds (SD: 00:37) in all patients. It was determined that the measurement results were recorded in the patient physical file in an average of 1 minute 2 seconds (SD: 00:52) and it was revealed that 15% of the measurement records were wrong, 26.9% were delayed and 10.6% were not recorded which performed by the nurses. It was also determined that the measurement results were not included in the hospital information system. It is thought that vital findings will provide important data for artificial intelligence studies in the following period with the recording of the results of the measurement to the electronic environment.