Correct Answers
What does taking vital signs monitor? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔The functioning of body systems
Detect changes in health status
Identify early warning signs of life-threatening conditions
Evaluate effectiveness of interventions
What situations require vital signs? (9) - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔1. Upon Admission
2. Part of physical assessment
3. Routine Monitoring
4. Any changes in health status
5. Before/after surgery or procedure
6. Before/after administering medication
7. Before/after interventions
8. To detect improvement
9. Before discharge/transfer
What are the five vital signs? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔Temperature, Pulse, Respirations, Blood
Pressure, Pain
Average temperature for adults - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔97.6-99.5
Afebrile - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔normal body temperature, no fever
, Factors that affect temperature
(age, exercise, hormones, circadian rhythm, stress, environment, smoking) - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔Age: baseline temperature decreases as age increases -- infants and elderly are
more susceptible to changes
Exercise: temperature increases
Hormones: temperature increases during ovulation
Circadian Rhythm: temperature decreases at 3 am and increases around 6 pm
Stress: increases temperature
Environment: extreme heat or cold
Smoking: decreases temperature
Hypothermia - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔body becomes too cold (shivering increases heat
production, sweating inhibited to decrease heat loss, vasoconstriction decreases heat loss)
Hyperthermia - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔body becomes too hot (sweating initiated, vasodilation
occurs)
What do you assess first if the patient develops a fever? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔The pulse -- if it
is increased it tells you the patient is becoming hyperthermic
Routes of temperature assessment - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔Oral, axillary, tympanic, skin, rectal,
temporal artery
Oral Temperature - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔most common; under the tongue
eating, drinking, smoking, use of oxygen can affect reading
Rectal Temperature - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔most accurate; very invasive (can cause rectal
perforation)