A Comprehensive Assessment of The Eight Vital Signs
The term “vital sign” has been assigned to various phenomena with the presumptive intent to emphasize their importance in health care resulting in the emergence of eight vital signs with multiple designations and overlapping terms. This review developed a case definition for vital signs and identifi...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Sciendo
2022-07-01
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| Series: | The EuroBiotech Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.2478/ebtj-2022-0014 |
| _version_ | 1818502710405627904 |
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| author | Draves J Tekiner H Yale ES Mazza JJ Yale SH |
| author_facet | Draves J Tekiner H Yale ES Mazza JJ Yale SH |
| author_sort | Draves J |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The term “vital sign” has been assigned to various phenomena with the presumptive intent to emphasize their importance in health care resulting in the emergence of eight vital signs with multiple designations and overlapping terms. This review developed a case definition for vital signs and identified and described the fifth through eighth vital signs. PubMed/Medline, Google and biographical databases were searched using the individual Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms, vital sign and fifth, vital sign and sixth, vital sign and seventh, and vital sign eighth. The search was limited to human clinical studies written in English literature from 1957 up until November 30, 2021. Excluded were articles containing the term vital sign if used alone without the qualifier fifth, sixth, seventh, or eighth or about temperature, blood pressure, pulse, and respiratory rate. One hundred ninety-six articles (122 for the fifth vital sign, 71 for the sixth vital sign, two for the seventh vital sign, and one for the eighth vital sign) constituted the final dataset. The vital signs consisted of 35 terms, classified into 17 categories compromising 186 unique papers for each primary authored article with redundant numbered vital signs for glucose, weight, body mass index, and medication compliance. Eleven terms have been named the fifth vital sign, 25 the sixth vital sign, three the seventh, and one as the eighth vital sign. There are four time-honored vital signs based on the case definition, and they represent an objective bedside measurement obtained noninvasively that is essential for life. Based on this case definition, pulse oximetry qualifies as the fifth while end-tidal CO2 and cardiac output as the sixth. Thus, these terms have been misappropriated 31 times. Although important to emphasize in patient care, the remainder are not vital signs and should not be construed in this manner. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T21:14:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-035eb0ea7e88404285800d6040cd6d82 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2564-615X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T21:14:00Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | Sciendo |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The EuroBiotech Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-035eb0ea7e88404285800d6040cd6d822022-12-22T01:33:21ZengSciendoThe EuroBiotech Journal2564-615X2022-07-016313314610.2478/ebtj-2022-0014A Comprehensive Assessment of The Eight Vital SignsDraves J0Tekiner H1Yale ES2Mazza JJ3Yale SH4BS, Marshfield Clinic Laboratories, 1000 North Oak Avenue, Marshfield, WI 54449United States of America.PhD, Department of the History of Medicine and Ethics, Erciyes University School of Medicine, Melikgazi, Kayseri 38039Turkey.MD, University of Florida, Division of General Internal Medicine, 2000 SW Archer Rd. Gainesville, FL 32608United States of America.MD, Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, 1000 North Oak Avenue, Marshfield, WI 54449United States of America.MD, University of Central Florida College of Medicine, 6850 Lake Nona Blvd, Orlando, FL 32827United States of America.The term “vital sign” has been assigned to various phenomena with the presumptive intent to emphasize their importance in health care resulting in the emergence of eight vital signs with multiple designations and overlapping terms. This review developed a case definition for vital signs and identified and described the fifth through eighth vital signs. PubMed/Medline, Google and biographical databases were searched using the individual Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms, vital sign and fifth, vital sign and sixth, vital sign and seventh, and vital sign eighth. The search was limited to human clinical studies written in English literature from 1957 up until November 30, 2021. Excluded were articles containing the term vital sign if used alone without the qualifier fifth, sixth, seventh, or eighth or about temperature, blood pressure, pulse, and respiratory rate. One hundred ninety-six articles (122 for the fifth vital sign, 71 for the sixth vital sign, two for the seventh vital sign, and one for the eighth vital sign) constituted the final dataset. The vital signs consisted of 35 terms, classified into 17 categories compromising 186 unique papers for each primary authored article with redundant numbered vital signs for glucose, weight, body mass index, and medication compliance. Eleven terms have been named the fifth vital sign, 25 the sixth vital sign, three the seventh, and one as the eighth vital sign. There are four time-honored vital signs based on the case definition, and they represent an objective bedside measurement obtained noninvasively that is essential for life. Based on this case definition, pulse oximetry qualifies as the fifth while end-tidal CO2 and cardiac output as the sixth. Thus, these terms have been misappropriated 31 times. Although important to emphasize in patient care, the remainder are not vital signs and should not be construed in this manner.https://doi.org/10.2478/ebtj-2022-0014painpulse oximetryphysical examinationvital signsmeasurements |
| spellingShingle | Draves J Tekiner H Yale ES Mazza JJ Yale SH A Comprehensive Assessment of The Eight Vital Signs The EuroBiotech Journal pain pulse oximetry physical examination vital signs measurements |
| title | A Comprehensive Assessment of The Eight Vital Signs |
| title_full | A Comprehensive Assessment of The Eight Vital Signs |
| title_fullStr | A Comprehensive Assessment of The Eight Vital Signs |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Comprehensive Assessment of The Eight Vital Signs |
| title_short | A Comprehensive Assessment of The Eight Vital Signs |
| title_sort | comprehensive assessment of the eight vital signs |
| topic | pain pulse oximetry physical examination vital signs measurements |
| url | https://doi.org/10.2478/ebtj-2022-0014 |
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