NUR 250 Physical_Assessment_of_an_Adult_Skills_Modules_2.2 {2021} - New England Institute of tech | NUR250 Skills_Modules_2.2 - Level of consciousness, general patient survey, and vital signs {2021}

NUR 250 Physical_Assessment_of_an_Adult_Skills_Modules_2.2 - New England Institute of tech Accepted Practice - Level of consciousness, general patient survey, and Equipment vital signs Level of consciousness Assess level of consciousness. Evaluate level of orientation. General patient survey - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - saturation. Take a moment to consider his vital signs in context of the general patient survey. Look for things such as a rapid or irregular heart rate. A rapid heart rate might be related to pain, fever, or anxiety. An irregular heartbeat may indicate a cardiac dysrhythmia or a problem with peripheral perfusion. If the patient’s heart rate is irregular, you need to assess for a pulse deÒcit, the di×erence between the rate of the apical pulse and the rate of the radial pulse. You will need another nurse to help with this assessment. To calculate the pulse deÒcit, one nurse needs to count the radial pulse for 60 seconds while the other nurse does the same for the apical pulse. After 60 seconds, the nurses compare their rates. If there’s a di×erence of 2 seconds, a deÒcit exists. Note that the techniques for measuring vital signs are described in detail in the Vital Signs skills module.