Vital Signs: Pulses

Presented by Amy Shortall-Cardillo and Clinical Procedure Manual Review Board

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Video Runtime: 2 Minutes

Pulse rate is a fundamental vital sign that is used to monitor various conditions being addressed in home healthcare. Knowing how to measure the pulse and recognize when the pulse rate is outside acceptable parameters or does not have a regular rhythm is an important skill to master. In this training, we’ll review the equipment and procedures for checking a patient’s pulse. This course includes

• Video demonstrations of procedures
• Downloadable procedure guide PDFs
• Tips and best practices for performing these procedures

The pulse measurement is an assessment of the heart rate (how fast or slow the heart is beating) and the rhythm. This skill applies to all home health staff, including nurses, aides, and therapists. Checking the patient’s pulse is necessary for most home health patients, and aides will perform this assessment when it is listed on the aide’s plan of care.

Meet your instructors

Amy Shortall-Cardillo

Amy Shortall-Cardillo is the director of compliance and education at Concordia Community Support Services in Cabot, Pennsylvania. In this role, she is responsible for the quality, compliance, and education programs for multiple home health, hospice, and private duty agencies. Amy ensures that each agency is working…

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Clinical Procedure Manual Review Board

The MedBridge Clinical Procedure Manual Review Board ensures the development and maintenance of up-to-date and evidence-based clinical procedures. The review board is composed of leading nurse experts in the field: Danielle Pierotti, RN, PhD, CENP, and Margherita Labson, RN, BSN, MSHSA. The review board is involved in…

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Chapters & learning objectives

1. Introduction

This chapter includes an introduction to checking a patient’s pulse, information on all of the equipment needed for this assessment, and recommended infection control policies.

2. Procedure: Pulses

This chapter will provide a step-by-step procedure guide and video demonstration of checking a patient’s pulse.

3. Tips, Precautions, and Care Considerations

This chapter provides tips and considerations for checking a patient’s pulse in the home health setting.

4. Documentation Guidelines

This chapter provides recommendations on what to note when documenting a patient’s pulse.

5. Conclusion

This chapter includes learning assessment questions to assess the learner’s knowledge of skills covered in this course. A bibliography of referenced material is also included.