S.

NO TIME

SPECIFIC
OBJECTIVES

CONTENTS

TEACHINGLEARNING

A.V. AIDS

EVALUATION

ACTIVITIES
1.

1 min

Introduction Of
Vital Signs

Introduction
Vital Signs (Often Shortened To
Just Vitals) Are A Group Of The
4 To 6 Most Important Signs That
Indicate The Status Of The
Bodys Life-Sustaining
Functions.

2.

3min

Define Vital
Signs

Vital Signs Are A Basic

Component Of Assessment Of
Physiological And Psychological
Health Of A Client.
It is also Known As Cardinal
Signs In A Normal Healthy
Individual Remains Constant.
Vitals Reflect The Function Of
The Body Processes Essential
For Life.
A. Body Temperature
B. Heart Function

Explanation

White Board

What do you
mean by Vital
Signs?

C. Breathing
D. Blood Pressure
3.

4.

3min

2 min

Enlist the
Importance of
vital signs.

Define body
temperature.

Vitals Are Measured To:

A. Detect Any Changes In
Normal Body Function.
B. Determine A Patients
Response To Treatment.
C. Recognize Any Life
Threatening Situation.

Body Temperature
It may be defined as the degree of
heat maintained by the body.
or
It is the balance between the heat
produced and the heat lost in the
body.
Oral 97.6- 99.6 Fahrenheit (36.537.5 Celsius)
B. Rectal 98.6-100.6 Fahrenheit
(37.0-38.1 Celsius)

Lecture
Discussion

White Board

Lecture

Flash card
White board

What are the

importance of
vital signs?

What do you
mean by body
temperature?

C. Axillary 96.6- 98.6 Fahrenheit

(36.0-37.0 Celsius)
D. Tympanic 98.6- 99.6
Fahrenheit (37.0-37.5 Celsius)

5.

6.

4 min

30 min

Enumerate the
factors
influencing
variation in the
body
temperature.

Discussion

Charts

What are the

factors
influencing in
variations in the
body
temperature?

Lecture cum
demonstration

Black board
Demonstration

What are the

methods used to
assess the body
temperature and

The following factors influence

the variations in the body
temperature
1.Time Of The Day
2.Time Of The Month
3.Age Of The Person
4.Part Of The Body Where The
Temperature Is Taken
5.Emotions
6.Exercises
7.Fasting
8.Environmental Factors

Explain Methods
of assessing the Assessing temperature
body
temperature and It Can Be Assessed With A

positioning of
thermometer.

Variety Of Devices
1.Glass Thermometer/Clinical
Thermometer
2.Electronic Thermometer
3.Tympanic Membrane
4.Disposable Paper Thermometer
5.Temperature Sensitive Strips
And Chemical Dot

Positioning The Thermometer

A. Oral - Under The Tongue Next
To Frenulum, Mouth Closed.
1. Glass Check And Shake Down
If Needed Before Positioning.
B. Axillary - Wipe Under Arm
Dry, Place Thermometer Under
Arm, Bring Down Arm Placing
Lower Arm Over Chest. Glass
Held In Place 8-10 Minutes.
C. Rectal - Lubricate
Thermometer, Insert Into Anus 1-

how to check
body
temperature?

1 Inches.
1. Hold Thermometer
Continuously During Taking Of
Temperature.
2. Glass Held In Place 3-5
Minutes.
D. Tympanic - insert into ear
canal until beep.
E. Electronic - positioned the
same as above until beep
indicates complete.
F. Surface - different for each
Brand, Read Label.
Cleaning Glass Thermometers
7.

15min

Demonstrate
cleaning of
thermometer

Wipe With Alcohol Swab. Shake

Down.
Wash With Soap And Cool
Water,
Rinse In Cool Water And Put In
Disinfectant Solution For No
Less Than 30 Minutes.
Rinse With Cool Water Before

Lecture cum
discussion

Demonstration

Demonstrate
cleaning of glass
thermometer?

Use.
If A Plastic Shield (Thermometer
Cover) Is Used Remove Plastic
Shield, Read Temperature, Wipe
With Alcohol Swab, Shake
Down, Rinse With Cool Water
And Put In Disinfectant Solution.
Rinse With Cool Water Before
Use.

8.

4 min

Enlist
contraindication
s for taking oral
and rectal
temperature

Contraindications For Taking

Oral Temperature
Lecture
clients who are extremely
nervous, delirious,
unconscious and mentally
confused and those who
can not follow instructions.
clients having confusion
mouth breather
mouth injuries,
inflammation or operations
of the mouth
extremely weak persons
person suffering from
frequent attacks of cough

White Board

Enlist
contraindications
for taking oral
and rectal
temperature?

 children under 6 years of

age

Contraindications for taking

rectal temperature
the clients who had rectal
surgery or inflammation of
the rectum
diarrhea
rectum is packed with
faecal matter
bowel wash, enema

9.

2 min

Define fever

Fever
It Is Defined As A Rise In The
Body Temperature Above 99 F
Lecture
Types Of Fever

Flash card

What do you
mean by fever?

10.

5min

Discuss the
types of Fever

Onset Or Invasion
Fastigium
Defervescence Or Decline
Crisis
Lysis
Constant Fever
Remittent Fever
Intermittent Fever
Inverse Fever
Hectic Fever
Relapsing Fever
Irregular Fever
Rigor
Low Pyrexia
Moderate Pyrexia
High Pyrexia
Hyperpyrexia
Hyperthermia
Hypothermia

Pulse
The Pressure Of Blood On An

Discussion

Flash card

What are the

different types of
fever?

11

12

2min

30 min

Explain the
meaning of
Pulse

Arterial Wall Which Can Be Felt

Every Time The Heart Beats

Lecture

White board

What do you
mean by Pulse?

The Pulse Is Influenced By:

A. Age
B. Body Temperature
C. Exercise
D. Emotions - Fear, Anger,
Anxiety, Excitement, Etc
E. Body Position
F. Pain

Pulse Points - Sites Pulse Can Be

Felt.
Temporal
Carotid
Apical
Enlist the
Brachial
common sites
Radial
and
Popliteal
characteristics of
Pedal (Dorsalis Pedis)
pulse
Ulnar
Femoral

Discussion cum White board

demonstration
demonstration

What are the

common sites to
check pulse?

Pulse is measured in rate, rhythm,

and force/volume.
a. Rate - the number of heart
beats or pulses felt in one
minute.
Normal rates:
Newborn - 4 weeks 100170/minute
Infant - 1 year 90130/minute
Toddler - preschool 80120/minute (1 year - 6
years)
School age 70-110/minute
(6 - 12 years)
12 years - adult 6090/minute
Below 60 or greater than 100 is
abnormal in adults
B. Rhythm
1. Should have a regular rhythm.

Should be felt in a pattern with

same time intervals between
beats.
2. In irregular rhythms the beats
are unevenly spaced or Beats Are
Skipped.
3. Basic Rhythms Are:
A. Regular
B. Regular - Irregular
C. Irregular - Irregular
C. Force/Volume - The Strength
Of The Pulse.
1. Full, extremely easy to
feel.
2. Bounding, can see it at
pulse points
3. Weak, hard to feel but can
feel it once found and
pressure maintained.
4. Feeble, hard to feel and
difficult to maintain feeling
for one minute.

5. Thready, very hard to find

and difficult to distinguish
each beat.
Pulse Deficit - The Difference
Between The Apical And Radial
Pulse.
Methods Of Taking Pulse
1.Palpation
2.Auscultation

Respiration

13.

3 min

Define
respiration

Respiration Is The Act Of

Breathing. It Is The Process Of
Taking Oxygen And Giving Out
Carbon Dioxide.
Respiration Is Partially Under
Voluntary Control.
Characteristics Of Respiration
Respirations Are Measured In:

Lecture

Flash card

What do you
mean by normal
respiration?

A. Rate - Number/Minute
B. Rhythm - Regularity Or Equal
Spacing
C. Character - Depth And
Quality
Respirations Are Counted For 30
Seconds And Timed (X) By 2
Unless Irregular Or Abnormal
Character, Then Counted One (1)
Full Minute.

14.

25 min

Explain the
abnormal
respiration

Abnormal Respiration Patterns.

A. Tachypnea Rapid Breathing,
Respiration Rate Usually Greater
Than 24/Min.
B. Bradypnea Slow Breathing.
Respiration Rate Less Than
10/Min.
C. Apnea Lack Of Or Absence
Of Breathing.
D. Hypoventilation Respirations
That Are Slow, Shallow, And
Sometimes Irregular.

Lecture cum
demonstration

White board
Demonstration

What are the

types of
abnormal
respiration?

E. Hyperventilation Respirations
That Are Rapid And Deeper Than
Normal.
F. Dyspnea Difficult, Labored Or
Painful Breathing.
G. Cheyne - Stokes A Pattern Of
Breathing In Which Respirations
Gradually Increase In Rate And
Depth And Then Become
Shallow And Slow; Breathing
My Stop For 10-20 Seconds.
H. Stertorous Laborious
Breathing Provoking A Snoring
Sound.

Normal Respiration
A. Adults 12-20/Minute
B. Children 15-26/Minute
C. Infants 30-50/Minute
Blood Pressure
Blood Pressure Is The Force
Exerted By The Blood Against
The Walls Of The Blood Vessels

16

25 min

Define blood
pressure and
methods of
checking BP

As It Flows Through It.

Systolic Pressure
It Is The Highest Degree Of
Pressure Exerted By The Blood
Against The Walls Of The Blood
Vessels During The Ventricular
Systole.
Diastolic Pressure
It Is The Lowest Pressure That
Occurs When The Heart Is In Its
Resting Period Just Before The
Contraction Of The Left
Ventricle.
Factors Causing Variations In
BP
Age
Sex
Body Build
Race
Climate
Time Of The Day
Exercise
Pain

Lecture cum
demonstration

Black board
demonstration

Demonstrate the
method of taking
BP?

Emotion
Posture
Disease Conditions
Drugs
Hemorrhage
Increased ICP

Instruments Used In
Measuring The BP
Sphygmomanometer-Mercury
And Aneroid
Sites To Check B.P

Brachial Artery
Radial Artery
Ulnar Artery
Popliteal Artery
Anterior Tibial Artery
Perineal Artery
Posterior Tibial Artery

Measurement Of BP

 Normal 120-140/60-80
mmHg
Hypertension - 150/90
mmHg
Hypotension- 100 mmHg
Measurements stated in terms of
millimetres of mercury (mmHg)

CONCLUSION
After completing this topic
students will be able to get
knowledge and demonstrate the
procedure of taking vital signs.
SUMMARY
In this topic, we have discussed
about definition of vital signs,
importance of vital signs,
meaning of body temperature,
pulse, respiration and blood
pressure and techniques to assess
vital signs.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Sr. Nancy, Fundamentals
of Nursing,6th edition,
N.R Brothers publications,

Page no.294-344.