Recording vital signs
Capture BP, pulse, temperature, oxygen saturation, weight, and respiratory rate at the start of a visit.
Overview
Vitals at the start of every visit catch problems before they become emergencies — uncontrolled blood pressure delays elective extractions, fever indicates active infection, oxygen drops require oxygen support. The vital signs panel sits inside every consultation form.
Prerequisites
- Clinical role
- The patient is checked in and you've started the consultation
- The equipment to measure (BP cuff, thermometer, pulse oximeter)
Steps
Inside the consultation form, open the Vitals card. Top of the consultation form. If empty, the card prompts "Record vitals".
Click "+ Record vitals". A panel slides in with fields for each vital sign.
Record blood pressure. Two fields: systolic and diastolic, both in mmHg. Out-of-range values (BP above 180/110 or below 90/50) are flagged in red.
Record pulse. Beats per minute. Tachycardia (over 100) and bradycardia (under 60) are flagged.
Record temperature. Celsius by default; switch to Fahrenheit via the unit toggle. Above 38°C flags as fever.
Record oxygen saturation. Percentage. Below 92% flags as hypoxia.
Record weight (if relevant). Kilograms. Used for paediatric drug dosing — required if you'll prescribe later in the visit.
Save. Click Save vitals. The Vitals card now shows today's reading. Previous readings are accessible via History.
Review history. Click History to see vitals from previous visits. Trends appear graphically — useful for hypertension monitoring across visits.
Expected outcome
- A new VitalSigns entry exists linked to the visit and patient
- Out-of-range readings appear with red badges and create alert banners on the consultation
- Patient history shows trend graphs for BP, pulse, weight
- Drug dosing forms can use the latest weight automatically
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Vitals card missing | Outside a consultation | Vitals only appear inside an active consultation; for general entries use Patient profile → Vitals |
| Field rejects a valid value | Out of physical range (e.g., temperature 50°C) | Likely a typo — re-measure |
| Auto-flag missed an obvious issue | Threshold not aligned with patient profile | Hypertensive patient's "normal" is higher; the system uses standard ranges |
| Can't access history | Visit-locked vitals are read-only after lock | History stays viewable; new entries open |
| Weight needed for prescribing pediatric drug | Drug dosing form blocks until weight present | Record weight first |