Skip to main content
The physiological parameters that are displayed as vital signs varies by institution. The following are a few of the common parameters that hospitals may choose to display:
  • Pulse Rate: The rate at which the patient’s heart is beating, usually in beats per minute.
  • Respiratory Rate: The rate at which the patient is breathing, usually in breaths per minute.
  • Blood Pressure: The pressure(s) at which blood flows through the peripheral vascular system. Systolic and diastolic pressures may be reported separately or as a compound measurement (for example, 120/80), usually in mmHg.
  • Blood Pressure Mean, or Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP): A calculated blood pressure that may be available from some back-end systems. This weighted mean is calculated as MAP = (2/3) Systolic Pressure + (1/3) Diastolic Pressure
  • Temperature (Fahrenheit): The patient’s temperature as obtained from a given anatomical location (such as, oral, axillary, ear, or rectal), reported in Fahrenheit.
  • Temperature (Calculated Celsius): The patient’s temperature in Celsius, calculated from the value measured in Fahrenheit.
  • O2 Sat by Pulse: The oxygen saturation (SaO2) level of the patient’s blood as determined by a pulse oximeter, usually reported in percent (%).
  • ED Arrival Time: Displays the date and time the patient arrived in the ED.
To view a patient’s vital signs, follow these steps:
  1. Select a patient on the Patient List tab, or click on the Details icon from another option.
  2. Click on Vitals from the display list.
  3. Select the amount of information you wish to display using the Timeframe and Display at most n full day(s) options. These two options are used together to determine the date range of vital sign information that is shown in all of the vital sign displays, including the vital signs Summary, the vital signs Table, the Vital Detail pane, and the Vital Graph pane (see below for more information on each of these displays). The Timeframe is applied first, and then any necessary adjustments are made based on the Display at most n full day(s) value. For example, if your Timeframe is set to “Last 30 Days,” and then you enter “7” in the Display at most n full day(s) field, the vitals display will show data for the elapsed portion of the current day, plus the data from the seven full days prior to that. A “day” begins whenever your organization starts its first shift (designated as the First Shift Start Time in Commure Pro), and consists of three eight-hour shifts.
    Any Timeframe that starts with the word “Last” functions as described above. However, the date range will vary if you choose a Timeframe of “Specific Date Range,” or one that includes future dates such as “Next 30 Days.” For example, if today is 12/5 and you have a specific Timeframe of “11/1 - 11/30” along with a value of “7” in the Display at most n full day(s) option, you will see vitals data for 7 full days going back from 11/30.
    The Display at most n full day(s) option will not display if the setting Admin > Institution > Site Administration > Filters Sticky by Modules is set to Yes.
    The patient data display area now shows the Vitals summary window. It is broken into two sections: the top portion displays the vital signs Summary, and the bottom portion displays the vital signs Table.
    • The Summary contains a list of the patient’s vitals. Usually the vital signs are listed in alphabetical order, although your organization may have customized the sort order. There is a row for each type of vital sign, along with the units in which it is measured. The data for each type of vital sign is then summarized in three columns as follows: the Most Recent measurement along with the date and time it was taken, the Previous measurement with its date and time, and the Current 24 hour range (the minimum and maximum measurements taken within the last 24 hours). The Current 24 hour range column is blank if there are no readings within the last 24 hours, or if the vital sign value contains a date or any non-numeric characters (for example, “<2” or “>50” or “1/2”).
    You may print the Summary or Detail window by clicking Print . For details on printing in the display area, see the text describing Print icon in Understanding the Patient Data Display.
    • The Table displays the various types of vital signs in a tabular format, with the vital sign type listed on the left vertical axis, and time intervals listed along the top from left to right. Information is displayed for each day in reverse chronological order, with the most recent date displayed on the left, and older dates continuing on to the right. Each date is broken into intervals of four hours (the default setting). You can adjust the number of hours in each interval by clicking the Options button and entering the number of hours that you want. You will notice that when you enter a larger block of time, more than one reading may be included in each interval. If more than one reading is included in an interval, the table cell shows the value of the most recent reading and also contains a notation indicating the total number of readings included in the time interval (for example, it would show (3) if the time interval contained three readings).
  4. If you would like to see more detailed information for a specific vital sign, you can do any of the following: click on the vital sign’s row in the Summary, or click on the vital sign’s name or any cell in the Table. Two small detail panes open below the summary window.
    • The Vital Detail pane (on the left) displays a list of all measurements within the number of days currently selected in the Display at most n full day(s) field, for the given vital sign. Each row lists the vital sign value and the date and time the reading was taken. The readings are listed in reverse chronological order, with the most recent reading at the top. If you clicked on a cell in the Table view, the reading(s) taken during that specific time block are highlighted in orange. To include more or less readings in the list, use the Display at most n full day(s) field at the top of the Vitals window.
    The Display at most n full day(s) option will not display if the setting Admin > Institution > Site Administration > Filters Sticky by Modules is set to Yes.
    You can view comments that have been added to vital sign values. A blue asterisk next to a vital sign indicates that a comment has been added. Holding your mouse pointer over the asterisk displays the comment(s). Comments can be displayed in all three views (Summary, Table and Details), as well as in the Vitals Graph pane.
    • The Vital Graph pane (on the right) automatically graphs the values of the given vital sign. Vitals sign values are usually numeric and are graphed as a standard line graph. However, if a vital sign value contains a date or any non-numeric characters (for example, “<2” or “>50” or “1/2”), then it is not included on the graph, and message to that effect is displayed.
    • To change the starting and ending dates of the graph, use the Display at most n full day(s) field at the top of the Vitals window. If the patient has been administered any medications, you can also graph the selected vital sign against one medication, by selecting the medication from the drop-down list in the graph window.
    You can also click Graph in the top right corner of the Vitals display option to access the multi-graphing feature. Multi-graphing allows you to graph multiple clinical items together, such as lab results, medications, I/Os, and vital signs.

​
Viewing Comments for Vitals and I/Os

You can view comments associated with vital sign values and Intake and Output measurements. Typically, whenever a nurse (or respiratory therapist, for example) records a patient’s vitals value or I/Os, they can add comments about the value. A comment contains descriptive information, which can include: component name, date and time the vitals or I/O measurement were taken, component value, and a note about the values as they relate to the patient’s condition or treatment. An asterisk to the right of a value or measurement indicates that there is a comment associated with the value. Holding your mouse pointer over the asterisk displays the comment(s). For example, a nurse might enter a temperature comment to indicate that a medication has worn off and should not be re-administered for another 2 hours. These comments can be a reminder to the attending nurse, as well as a set of instructions for a nurse coming on duty.