Vital signs are the most common unit of measurement that medical professionals routinely use to monitor essential body functions’ well-being. Vital signs are used to give a sense of direction for the treatments and therapy that patients may need.
There are five vital signs, namely: pulse rate, respiratory rate, temperature, and blood pressure. In cases of medical emergencies, knowing these parameters on hand can help both the patient and his entire health care team in preparing and providing the right medical intervention that can potentially save their life.
Here are three of the many ways that a portable all in vital signs device like the Wellue Checkme™ Doctor Vital Signs Monitor can help a medical professional:
Different health care settings
Health care professionals are not only found in hospitals. They are also present in universities, clinics, schools, communities, and even with their patients at homes. In different health care settings, they are expected to still assess thoroughly and perform a provision of health care with the tools they have. No matter how limited. When instead of using five different tools to assess each of the five vital signs, you carry one, then you can make room to equip yourself with other things that may help like syringes, medicine, gloves, etc.
Given the fact that there are five vital signs, there are also numerous instruments that need to be available to measure and correlate them. With the availability of an accurate and portable vital signs monitor, not only can it increase efficiency and decrease opportunities for cross-contamination, but it can also be a stress reliever. It removes the need to carry and provide too many instruments in the healthcare provider’s shoulders, pockets, and hands. Thus, allowing their hands and minds more freedom to attend and focus on providing patient care.
Work efficiency
The doctor-to-patient ratio or nurse-to-patient ratio differs and may vary according to which hospital ward one is assigned to. During peak hours, this can rise and amount to large proportions, such as 30:1 in some of the worst settings. Then when vital signs monitoring is queued at different times for different patients, it will help to have a portable device ready in your pocket. An example of this scenario is when a patient is assigned to a room that lacks equipment. By having an all-in-one portable vital signs device like the Wellue Checkme™ Doctor, it will be easier for the health professional to be updated on their patient’s current well-being. The Checkme™ Doctor has functions like Infrared Thermometer, ECG/EKG, and Oxygen Saturation to name a few that would help in monitoring the patients. Every minute saved allows for more human-to-human interaction, which lessens the superficiality of health care and allows the doctor to treat the patient instead of the monitor.
Efficiency also involves working smarter instead of harder. Suppose the medical professional finds themselves in a situation where there is a lack of equipment, and therefore no vital signs equipment available for each individual patient, a portable vital sign device designed to be wireless (almost), then it would be easier to clean and therefore would promote health by preventing cross-contamination. The center for disease control defines cross-contamination as the spread of germs from one surface to another by contact. For example, when the stethoscope is used to assess an infectious patient and then used again without disinfection towards an immunocompromised patient, cross-contamination occurs and leads to a prolonged hospital stay for those affected. Handwashing remains the single most effective way to prevent the transfer of diseases, but healthcare professionals specifically, a portable vital sign device with less surface area that can be disinfected easily can help the whole healthcare team in breaking the chain of infection.
Rapid response
During emergency situations, assessment always goes first. Typically, you first check for the signs you can observe, like the level of consciousness and danger. Next, to check for beyond what you can observe, you will need tools. This is to measure things like the H and Ts of advanced cardiac life support. Using a portable vital sign device like the Wellue Checkme™ Doctor can give you spread out information regarding the patient’s respiratory status and saturation, heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, and lead I and II ECG in a matter of minutes, if not, seconds. Having a portable vital sign device can also mean being able to quickly assess the patient that is being monitored by simply and quickly checking the trend of the patient’s health through a mobile app or through PC software.
In addition to the five vital signs, having a portable ECG would be an advantage. Cardiovascular diseases remain to be the leading cause of mortality worldwide (WHO, 2018). For most, it remains unattended, undetected until it is worse because it doesn’t interrupt activities of daily living unless the heart is already heavily compensating. For underlying causes of chest pain and abnormal heartbeat, an electrocardiogram is the most common diagnostic from which the doctor will determine the treatment and diagnosis of their patient. This painless and non-invasive test measures your heart’s electrical activity. It gives the doctor the information they can use to tell whether or not their patient’s heart cells are being damaged, possibly due to ischemia (reduced blood flow to heart muscles).
Health promotion is defined by the Ottawa charter as the empowerment, and therefore equipment and education, of people to increase control and to improve their health. Health is, therefore, seen as a resource for everyone and not an objective of living. Therefore, being proactive in your health is an upgrade in your quality of life. Not only can a portable vital sign device help health care professionals, but it could also help patients who need frequent monitoring at home. Devices like the Wellue Checkme™ Doctor have a built-in rechargeable battery that can monitor the SpO2 and pulse rate of the patient for up to 10 hours. Just make sure that you are guided by evidence-based data and your personal health care professional.
References:
- World Health Organization (WHO). (2018, May 24). The top 10 causes of death. Retrieved November 15, 2020, from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/the-top-10-causes-of-death
- CDC. (2010, August 18). CDC – Correctional Health Care Workers: Cross-Contamination – NIOSH Workplace Safety and Health Topic. Retrieved November 15, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/correctionalhcw/cross.html
- Daniele M (2012) The Nursing Management of Cardiac Arrest in the Emergency Departments: The Experience of Cuneo. 1: 138. doi:10.4172/scientificreports.138
- First International Conference on Health Promotion, Ottawa, 21 November 1986. (2012, June 16). Retrieved November 15, 2020, from https://www.who.int/teams/health-promotion/enhanced-wellbeing/first-global-conference
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