You are now viewing our public site. Back to Dashboard

Vital Sign Interpretation in Acute Care Rehabilitation

presented by Ashley Poole, PT, DPT

Accrediting Body:

Target Audience:

Levels:
Disclosure Statement:

Financial: Ashley Poole receives compensation from MedBridge for this course. There is no financial interest beyond the production of this course.

Nonfinancial: Ashley Poole is a part of the American Physical Therapy Association. She is also a part of the Academy of Cardiovascular & Pulmonary Physical Therapy, the Academy of Acute Care Physical Therapy, and the Academy of Education. She has no competing nonfinancial interests or relationships with regard to the content presented in this course.

Satisfactory completion requirements: All disciplines must complete learning assessments to be awarded credit, no minimum score required unless otherwise specified within the course.

MedBridge is committed to accessibility for all of our subscribers. If you are in need of a disability-related accommodation, please contact [email protected]. We will process requests for reasonable accommodation and will provide reasonable accommodations where appropriate, in a prompt and efficient manner.

Accreditation Check:
Video Runtime: 55 Minutes; Learning Assessment Time: 29 Minutes

Due to medical advances and emerging research, patients are living longer with more complex medical needs. As a result, practitioners are treating and mobilizing patients with increasingly complex needs in the acute care setting. It is important that rehab practitioners possess a solid understanding of vital signs in order to monitor the hemodynamic stability of their patients and determine a safe plan of care. This course will guide practitioners in vital sign interpretation to determine a patient's readiness for activity, tolerance to activity, and risk for adverse events. Normal and abnormal vital sign responses to exercise will be covered, as well as clinical considerations for special populations. Information in this course could be applicable to any health profession, including physical therapy and occupational therapy, that treats and mobilizes patients in the acute care setting.

Meet Your Instructor

Ashley Poole, PT, DPT

Ashley Poole, PT, DPT, holds a full-time faculty appointment in the Doctor of Physical Therapy division at Duke University. She has more than 20 years of clinical practice experience and was awarded board certification as a cardiovascular and pulmonary clinical specialist by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties in 2013. She teaches courses on…

Read full bio

Chapters & Learning Objectives

Download Learning Objectives Download Learning Objectives

Enter your information to unlock the learning objectives.

Thank you!

Download the learning objectives for Vital Sign Interpretation in Acute Care Rehabilitation.

Download Learning Objectives

1. Overview of Vital Signs

This chapter will provide an overall understanding of vital signs in the acute care setting. It is important for a rehab practitioner in the hospital to have an awareness of the normative values for heart rate/pulse rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation. This chapter will guide rehab practitioners in accurate assessment, early warning systems, factors that affect vital signs, and safe parameters for exercise.

2. Heart Rate, Pulse Rate, and Blood Pressure

This chapter will examine normal and abnormal values for heart rate, pulse rate, and blood pressure, including the clinical significance of these abnormalities. Response to exercise and clinical considerations will also be covered in this chapter. It is important for practitioners to identify abnormal heart rate, pulse rate, and blood pressure responses and their clinical implications to optimize patient safety and outcomes.

3. Respiratory Rate and Oxygen Saturation

This chapter will examine normal and abnormal values for respiratory rate and oxygen saturation, including the clinical significance of these abnormalities. Response to exercise and clinical considerations will also be covered in this chapter. It is important for practitioners to identify abnormal respiratory rate and oxygen saturation responses and their clinical implications to optimize patient safety and outcomes.

4. Vital Signs: Special Considerations

This chapter will examine special populations and additional considerations for vital sign interpretation. Vital signs may be altered in older adults and patients with known disease. In addition, patients with critical illness usually have multiple medical problems requiring special considerations. Acute care rehab practitioners should be equipped to interpret vital signs and make complex clinical decisions for all patients, including those with special considerations, to optimize patient safety and outcomes.

Sign up to get free evidence-based articles, exclusive discounts, and insights from industry-leaders.

Join our newsletter to get the latest updates delivered straight to your inbox.

MedBridge blog posts and emails

Request a Demo

For groups of 5 or more, request a demo to learn about our solution and pricing for your organization. For other questions or support, visit our contact page.

Contact Sales

Contact sales to learn about our solution and pricing for your organization. For other questions or support, visit our contact page.