Vital Sign #1: Body Temperature

Taking vital signs on every patient visit can be vital to the
health of your patient. Vital signs include body temperature,

blood pressure, heart rate and respiration rate. Additional
vital statistics that may be of use to identify a predisposition
to a disease or disorder and that assist with proper dosing
of medication include weight and height. Vital signs give
you a baseline when a patient is healthy to compare to the
patient’s condition when they aren’t healthy. Abnormalities
in vitals can also be a clue to illness or disease that can be
hurting the organ systems in the patient’s body.
Vital Sign #1: Body Temperature

A body temperature range must be kept for the body to
function properly. Body temperature should not only be
taken if a patient has a fever, but a baseline should be set
for future appointments to catch abnormalities. The medical
assistant must also become familiar with proper procedure
to take body temperature during a patient’s appointment,
how the body regulates temperature with heat production,
heat loss, body temperature conditions and body
temperature influencers. The normal human body
temperature ranges from 97 degrees to 99 degrees
Fahrenheit.
There are five places on the body that a medical assistant

can take the body’s temperature, they include the mouth,
axilla, rectum, ear and forehead. The part of the body is
chosen based on age, condition, and state of
consciousness.
Heat is produced in the body when nutrients are broken

down in the cells. Heat can be produced by contraction of
the muscles, during digestion, when shivering or from fever.
Heat is lost from the body in urine, feces, water vapor from
the lungs and perspiration. There are three different types
of heat loss, they include radiation, conduction, convection
and evaporation.
High temperatures in the body can indicate disease or

illness. A fever is a body temperature greater than 100.4
degrees. Hyperpyrexia is a body temperature greater than
105.8 degrees. A body temperature greater than 109.4
degrees is fatal. Hypothermia is a body temperature less
than 97 degrees Fahrenheit. The body usually can’t survive
with a temperature lower than 93.2 degrees.
The medical assistant should consider the following factors

while taking a patient’s body temperature, they include age,
diurnal variations, emotional states, environment, exercise,
and pregnancy.
Vital Sign #2: Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is the measurement of the pressure of the
blood in an artery as it is forced against the artery walls.
The highest level during contraction is recorded as the
systolic pressure. As the heart pauses briefly to rest and
refill, the arterial pressure drops. This drop is recorded as
the diastolic pressure. The medical assistant takes this vital
sign with a blood pressure cuff, the blood pressure is
written as a fraction. The systolic pressure over the diastolic
pressure. A healthy blood pressure is 120/80, any higher
and the patient may have hypertension. Hypertension is
high blood pressure with excessive pressure on the walls of
the arteries and a reading higher than 140/90. Hypotension
is low blood pressure with reduced pressure on the walls of
the arteries and a reading lower than 95/60.
A medical assistant should consider certain factors that can

increase or decrease blood pressure when taking vital
signs. These factors include age, gender, diurnal variations,
emotional states, exercise, body position and medication
taken.
Vital Sign #3: Heart Rate

The pulse is created by the heart contracting and forcing
blood into the heart’s aorta. The aorta must expand
because it already has blood and must make room for the
new blood. This creates a pulse wave through the walls of
the arterial system. The heart rate is measured by counting
the number of pulses per minute (bpm). The medical
assistant must be familiar with how to assess readings of
the patient’s heart rate. The types of pulse a medical
assistant must master include radial pulse, apical pulse,
brachial pulse, ulnar pulse, temporal pulse, carotid, femoral
pulse, popliteal pulse, posterior tibial pulse and dorsalis
pedis pulse.
A pulse rate evaluation is used to establish the patient’s

baseline pulse. Pulse should be taken by the medical
assistant with moderate pressure using the three middle
fingers. Pulse rate is the number of heart beats that occur in
1 minute. The normal resting pulse rate, in a healthy adult,
ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute. Pulse rhythm
indicates the time interval between heart beats. A normal
rhythm has a consistent time interval between heart beats.
Pulse volume is the strength of the heartbeat.
Pulse rate can vary based on different factors. The medical
assistant should consider the following factors when taking
pulse rate including age, gender, physical activity,
emotional state, metabolism, fever, air temperature, body
size and medications taken.
Vital Sign #4: Respiration Rate

The purpose of respiration is to exchange oxygen and
carbon dioxide. The assessment should be done without
the patients’ knowledge as they may change the rate if they
know they are being tested. During inhalation the lungs
expand with oxygen. As the lungs exhale carbon dioxide is
removed from the body. A normal healthy adult will breathe
in and out 12 to 20 times per minute. Respiration rhythm
should be even and regular with equal pauses between
inhaling and exhaling.
Respiration depth is described as normal, deep or shallow

based on the movement of the chest. Normal depth is
described as the baseline respiration depth. Deep
respiration involves an increased amount of air inhaled.
Shallow respiration involves a slow exchange of oxygen
and carbon dioxide.
Hyperpnea is an abnormal increase in the rate and depth of

respiration. Hyperpnea can be caused simply by exercise
but can also be a sign of problems if at rest.
Hyperventilation is abnormally fast and deep breathing,
typically associated with acute anxiety and may be
supplemented by dizziness and weakness. Hypopnea is an
abnormal decrease in rate and depth approximately half of
baseline respiration rate. Hypopnea can be found primarily
with sleep disorders.
Many factors can affect the normal respiration rate in
healthy adults, they include age, physical activity, emotional
state, fever and medications taken.
Additional Vital Statistics

Vital Sign #5: Weight – Accurate weight is important for
patients and weight monitoring may be required if the
patient is taking any medication. It can also be important for
a patient that is trying to gain or lose weight. Obesity-
related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2
diabetes and certain types of cancer.

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Taking vital signs on every patient visit can be vital to the

health of your patient. Vital signs include body temperature,

Vital Sign #1: Body Temperature

There are five places on the body that a medical assistant

Heat is produced in the body when nutrients are broken

High temperatures in the body can indicate disease or

The medical assistant should consider the following factors

Vital Sign #2: Blood Pressure

A medical assistant should consider certain factors that can

Vital Sign #3: Heart Rate

A pulse rate evaluation is used to establish the patient’s

Vital Sign #4: Respiration Rate

Respiration depth is described as normal, deep or shallow

Hyperpnea is an abnormal increase in the rate and depth of

Additional Vital Statistics

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