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Nursing vocabulary · Vital Signs

Observations

Meaning in nursing, with examples

/ˌɑːbzərˈveɪʃənz/nounCore term

In nursing, observations means: In nursing, the regular set of measurements taken from a patient, mainly the vital signs, and sometimes other checks such as pain or level of consciousness.

In Turkish: vital takibi, gözlemler, vitaller

How it is used

Mostly British, and almost always shortened to 'obs' on the ward: 'do the obs', 'four-hourly obs', 'neuro obs', 'her obs are stable'. How often they are done depends on the patient's condition and early warning score. In the US the same idea is usually expressed with 'vitals'.

Example sentences

  1. He's back from theatre, so I'll do his observations every 30 minutes for the first two hours.

  2. Her observations are within normal limits apart from a temperature of 38.2.

Common collocations

  • do the observations
  • hourly observations
  • set of observations
  • neuro observations
  • observations chart
  • vital signsThe basic body measurements that show how well a patient's body is working: usually temperature, pulse, breathing rate, blood pressure and oxygen level.
  • early warning scoreA score calculated from a patient's vital signs and level of consciousness that helps staff notice early that a patient is becoming seriously ill.
  • baselineA patient's usual or starting state, such as their normal blood pressure, mobility or mental state, used for comparing later changes.
  • temperatureHow hot a patient's body is, measured with a thermometer in the ear, mouth, armpit, forehead or rectum. In everyday speech it can also simply mean a fever.

More terms: Vital Signs

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.