Are you thinking, “Vital signs, symptoms, and side effects are all similar? What is the difference?” You are not alone. Fortunately, you have come to the right place. This article will review vital signs, symptoms, and side effects and how they are helpful to medical professionals.
What Vital Signs are Taken by Medical Assistants?
Medical assistants take vital signs at each doctor’s appointment to establish a baseline when the patient is healthy and then understand the trend over time. If a vital sign reading is abnormal, the physician can perform additional tests to better understand the diagnosis and treatment options.
The vital signs a medical assistant takes include:
Temperature
The average adult body temperature ranges from 97 to 99 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s measured orally, temporally, and over the temporal artery on the forehead. Most medical assistants put a digital thermometer under the tongue to get a reading.
Pulse
Pulse is measured by counting heartbeats in the radial artery near the wrist. The standard adult heart rate averages 60–100 beats per minute (bpm). A toddler’s pulse may be 130 bpm. The medical assistant will also note the pulse’s rhythm and character. Is it steady or irregular?
Respiratory Rate
The average adult breathes 14 times per minute. Medical assistants count the number of breaths while a patient is unaware so they do not start breathing faster due to stress.
Blood Pressure
Blood pressure exerts force against the heart and blood vessel walls. It’s measured with a sphygmomanometer or a digital oscillometer. The medical assistant measures the systolic blood pressure over diastolic blood pressure.
Height
Height is a person’s head-to-toe measurement. A stadiometer, a ruler, and a sliding headpiece measures the patient’s height. This can be vital for older adults when osteoporosis is more common.
Weight
Weight is a measurement of the relative mass of the body. Even minor changes can be clinically significant. The medical assistant uses a professional scale to measure the patient’s weight. The patient may take off shoes and empty their pockets, but this must be consistent across all measurements.
Oxygen Saturation
Oxygen saturation (SpO2) readings, measured with a fingertip pulse oximeter, estimate the oxygen content in the bloodstream. Depending on the patient’s medical condition, healthy levels range from 90% to 98%.
What Are Symptoms?
Symptoms are physical manifestations of an illness. They’re something a patient feels, like headache or diarrhea. Common symptoms patients report to medical assistants include:
Abdominal Pain
Abdominal pain is discomfort in the belly. It can come from muscle, bone, organs, or the lining surrounding the stomach, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and intestines. Viral gastroenteritis, food poisoning, and constipation are common causes of abdominal pain.
Anxiety
Anxiety is an overwhelming feeling of dread without an apparent cause. Many people suffer from social or generalized anxiety disorder.
Bloating
Bloating is a feeling of fullness in the abdomen. It’s a common symptom of gastritis or constipation. Bloating can result from fluid retention or gas.
Body Aches
Body aches are among patients’ chief complaints. Soreness affecting most muscles in the body is associated with many diagnoses. The doctor must perform additional tests to identify the exact diagnosis and treatment.
Chills
Chills are abnormal feelings of coldness, shivering, and sweating that are not caused by the ambient temperature. Extreme food poisoning is a common cause.
Cough
Coughing is the rapid expulsion of air from the lungs to clear the airways. It’s a symptom of many disorders, including the common cold, pneumonia, and streptococcus.
Diarrhea
Diarrhea is a bowel movement with a soft or liquid consistency. A single case of diarrhea is not concerning. However, chronic diarrhea can lead to dehydration. Common causes include food allergies and viruses.
Fatigue
Fatigue is an overwhelming feeling of tiredness. It may be caused by depression, aging, hormonal imbalances, heart dysrhythmias, or infections.
Heartburn
Heartburn is a burning sensation in the chest, throat, and neck. Many over-the-counter and prescription drugs can help treat chronic heartburn.
What Are Side Effects?
Side effects are the unintended consequences of medical treatments. Some adverse reactions are expected and manageable. Others may be serious or life-threatening because they affect vital signs. Common side effects of medications include:
Nausea and Vomiting
Many medications can cause nausea and vomiting. Persistent vomiting can lead to dehydration, resulting in low blood pressure and a rapid heartbeat.
Dizziness
Some drugs, including blood pressure medications and opioid pain relievers, can cause dizziness or fainting, which can cause blood pressure to drop.
Fatigue
Certain medications affect the nervous system, causing temporary fatigue. Confusion is a common side effect of allergy medications.
Pain or Redness
Swelling, discomfort, and redness at a surgical incision site may indicate a slow healing. A fever might indicate an infection.
Fever
Some people develop a low-grade fever after receiving certain vaccines. A doctor should review sustained fever.
Allergic Reactions
Mild allergic reactions to medications are not uncommon. However, these side effects can evolve into severe or life-threatening adverse effects. Anaphylaxis begins with common allergy symptoms but quickly progresses to airway constriction, low blood pressure, and organ failure.
Vital Signs vs Symptoms vs Side Effects
Symptoms are subjective signs of illness as reported by the patient. They are usually the reason patients go to the doctor. They help the doctor make decisions on treatment options.
Vital signs are measurements assessed at regular intervals. They’re an essential part of patient assessment. Vital signs help the doctor narrow down possible diseases and disorders. They are critical information that starts with symptoms and ends with a treatable diagnosis. Vital signs are objective measurements, and readings aren’t subject to interpretation.
Side effects are unintended and serve no therapeutic purpose, but they can provide information that helps doctors refine treatment regimens. Side effects are reported by patients and depend on how they impact patients’ lives. Is the side effect a tradeoff for a medication’s usefulness? Side effects and changes in vital signs may occur at any time.
Want to Learn More?
The Medical Assistant Training Program at CyberTex Institute of Technology takes excellent care of you by providing hands-on training, practical experience, and the support it takes to get started in a medical assisting career without spending years in school. You will learn clinical and administrative skills and prepare to work in physician’s offices, hospitals, and other medical facilities.
Contact us today to learn more about our Austin and Killeen campuses.
