How to give support to a service user by taking and recording of pulse and temperature.

Health, Social Care & Early Years

National Level 3

Demonstrate (simulated) how to give support to a service user by taking and recording:

Pulse
Temperature

Pulse:

A pulse of an individual is their heart rate or the number of times their heart beats each minute (bpm). Not every individual will have the same pulse rate; it varies form person to person. The pulse of individual who is resting will be much lower than a person who is running fast as they have more oxygen that they will need whilst exercising. As the heart og an individual is pumping blood through their bodies, they are likely to feel some of the pulses which are near the surface of their skins, such as their wrist, neck, or upper arm. When an individual Counts their pulse rate, it simply tells them how fast their heart is beating per minute.

Pulse rate is measured whenever a service user enters a care setting such as a hospital, clinic, or nurses visit the ill service users themselves. Pulse is very important as it provides the care workers about the health of that service user. There are many people who measure their pulse everyday so that they can keep a track of their health condition and don’t have to rely on the doctors as often.

pulse rate can be measured by counting the beats from 15 to 20 seconds and multiplying it by 4 to get the beats in a whole minute. Individuals pulse rate can change from minute to minute, as they exercise faster their pulse rate will raise even if they have fever or are feeling stressed however as soon as they are resting in peace their pulse rat will decrease.

An individual at care settings pulse will be measured because:

The doctors can see how their service users heart is working to see wehter they are in a good condition of health or not..
It can also find out why that individual might be feeling dizzy or having chest pains or sometimes short of breath.
To check how the blood is flowing after having an injury or if their blood vessel is blocked.
It can help check the medicines the care workers are giving to the service user and wether if it is the cause of slow heart rate. Ther might be people who will be recommended to check their pulse everyday in the morning if they are taking any medication such as digoxin.
To help check the service users health level.

When Kitty fell ill, the care workers in Greyfriers had to make sure they measure her pulse everyday so they can keep record of her pulse to see if her health was improving or not. They had to make sure that they measure her pulse where they could be able to get the result as accurate as possible such as on her wrist by placing the two fingers gently and keeping track of the seconds using a stopwatch so that the results they get are accurate as possible. The care workers also had to make sure they made Kitty feel cared for so that everytime they check her pulse she will not be frightened everytime she gets checked.

To take pulse measurement of a service users, the care workers have to make sure that they check their pulse using a watch and a hand to put on the service users wrist to find out their pulse rate in a minute. Care workers can measure the service users pulse rate anywhere they find their artery that is near the surface of the skin such as in their wrist, neck, behind the knee, or top of their foot. To measure the pulse accurately the care workers will have to:

Place two fingers on the artery of the service user
Care workers cannot check the pulse with thumb because it contains an artery itself called radial artery.
Then lastly they will have to count the beats of the pulse that will last up to 30 seconds if they want, then double the result to get the result for a whole minute.

Care workers in care homes can also check the pulse of their service users of carotid artery which is located in their necks or near their windpipe. They have to bear in mind for the elder service users because if the care workers are not pressing gently then it can injure the service users neck as they are weak. If the care workers want they can also buy an electronic pulse meter which automatically checks the service users pulse in their fingers, wrist, or chest. It is helpful when an individual cannot feel their pulse.

When a care worker comes to check the pulse of service user they will have to make sure that he is being gentle to him while carrying out his task as well as explaining to the service user what he is carrying out. This can help the service user take his fears away that they might had. It can also make service user know what is going to happen exactly so they wont start panicking when the care worker comes to him for regular pulse check ups.

The pulse rate of an individual can vary.The chart underneath shows the ...

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The pulse rate of an individual can vary.The chart underneath shows the normal range of a heart rate beats of a resting person which are calculated per minute. There are many things that can cause changes in an individuals heart rate which can inculde their age and fitness level.

A pulse of an individual usually has a regular rhythm which is strong as their blood vessel will feel soft. Even if their pulse stops for a second it is normal. A heart rate will speed up a little when they start to breath heavly mostly this happens when they have blocked nose or out of breath. They can then check their pulse when this happens.

In Greyfriers, when Hanna was getting her regular pulse measurement, the care worker who was helping her told Hanna that her rhythm of her heart was going in a fast rate, hearing this Hanna became worried, she thought that it was something bad and started to panick, as soon as the care worker saw her facial expression she realised that Hanna was panicking so she told her not to worry about anything because it was normal. Heart rate becomes high when someones nose is blocked or out ouf breath. At that moment Hanna had flu so her nose was blocked this maybe her reason for having her heart rate moving at a fast speed. Care worker giving her support made Hanna feel comforted and less worrying.

There are many things that can change the pulse rate of an individual, and when this happens they should consult their doctors if they are feeling worried about themselves, this can also happen because of the symptons they had in the past abou their health.

When a care worker is taking the pulse of service user they should make sure they try to communicate with the service users about any general topic to help the service user relax his mind and take his mind off the procedure. They will have to make sure that they do this effectively so that the service users will want to talk to them rather then avoiding them when th care worker comes to take his daily pulse and the service user ignoring what the care worker is saying simply because she was being rude to him yesturday or the day before.

Body tempurature:

Body temperature is the balance between heat gain and heat loss, and for a normal average person the right body temperature should be 37 degrees. Taking a temperature can tell an individual if they are having a fever or not. If the body temperature is above 37 degrees then it means that individual’s organs and brain is about to fail, in addition if their temperature is below 37 degrees then that can also be dangerous too.

“Temperature measurement is a method to take a person's temperature and determine whether it is within a normal range. A high temperature is a .”

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When a person is feeling too hot, the blood vessels that are found in their skin dilate to carry the heat that is not needed in their body to their skin. For this reason they will begin to sweat and as soon as they start to sweat it will cool their body down as it evaporates. However, when an individual is feeling too cold then their blood vessels contract so that their blood is flowing to the skin to stop the sweat coming out so that they produce body heat when they start to shiver.

When Amy who is a care worker in Greyfriers, go for a run in the morning to keep her body fit, she stars to sweat even if it is a cold day. That’s because her blood is running through her vessels faster then it normally runs, for this reason heat was getting produced in the skin and coming upwards onto her suface of her skin to prodice sweat so she can cool her self down.

Whoever takes the temperature on an individual in care settings have to make sure they mark it accurate because it is very important, it can cause problems if the care worker writes down an estimate such as saying that the service users temperature is above 37 degrees, which can cause unnecessary problems for doctors or nurses.

Most people’s body temperature is about 37°C- 37.8°C anything above this is classed as fever. There are many things that cause fever in service users who live in residential home such as have a very bad infection which is one of the common causes of it; it will affect the whole body. Even having too much medicine can cause fever to the service user as it raises the body temperature immediately. Service users who have suffered from heart attack or stroke may often find their selves being ill even those who have lung cancer or leukemia.

In care settings when the nurses check the service users body tempurature they do not always have to put the thermometre in the mouth however their body tempurature can be check from different parts of their body but most of the palces are the mouth, ear and armpits which are commonly used. Body tempurature can also be check from the forhead which may not be as accurate as other parts such as the mouth.

People with low body temperature with is known as can be serious sometimes can kill that individual. Low body temperature can occur from feeling far too cold or having a metabolic disorders such as even someone has . A low body temperature can also occur if someone has an infection most of the cases it the newborns or the elder people who cuffer from hypothermia.

There are many reason why the care workers have to check body tempurature of an ndividual especially in car setting such as the Greyfriers. Greyfriers Nursing Home make sure its care workers measure the tempurature of its service users everyday so that they don’t suffer from anything such as:

To see if any of them have fever.
Make sure no one is suffering from hypothermia, service users who have been exposed to cold.
Make sure no one is suffering from hyperthermia, service users who have been exposed to heat.
To see if any medicine is giving them side effects.

Care workers can prepare the service users by making sure that they take their tempurature several times before they write it down to make sure they get accurate results. They can also take their tempurature in the morning and in the evening, because body tempurature of service user can change from day to night even by 0.6°C. when service user have had meal or had a ciggerate, the care workers will have to make sure they wait atleast 30 minutes before they can measure their tempurature.

There are many types of thermometre which can be used to identify the service users body tempurature on differen parts of the body which are available, these are:

Electronic thermometer- which is a plastic pencil shaped thermometre with a digital display on it. it works through I wire which is installed inside the thermometre. Electronic thermometres can be used in mouths or armpits. This kind of thermometre is easy to use and is good for care workers who want accurate results.
Ear thermometers- which is also plastic coming in different shapes and sizes using infrared energy to measure the accurate result that the service user gets for their body tempurature. It is a small cone shape that enteres the ear and the result which are shown on the display. infrared energy to measure body temperature. The small cone-shaped end of the thermometer is placed in the ear, and body temperature shown on a digital display.
Disposable thermometers- which are thin plastic in colourful dots with tempurature marking at the end. These kind of thermometres are used in mouth. This is a very safe way to measure the tempurature of service users as it will less likely spread infection however they do not give accurate results. These have to be thrown away after one use when a service user is ill.
Forehead thermometers- which is a thermometre that uses skin to measure the body tempurature. These can come on plastic disc shapes which show the temperature on the digital display. This type of thermometre is not as accurate as others.

When Toby was ill, the care workers in Greyfriers used an ear thermometre to measure his body tempurature as it gave an accurate results which was what the doctors wanted exactly. Although it was it had a quick procedure, it was an expense choice. The care workers had to make sure they placed the thermometre correctly inside the ear so it gives them accurate results as possible.

Thermometre that is used inside ones mouth is one of the common ways to measure the temperature of an individual. They have to make sure they get the accurate results as possible as theat person will have to breath from their nose while havin a thermometre in their mouth. However if that individual is unable to place the thermotre in their mouth because they have flu then they will have to place that thermometre somewhere else such as their ear or their armpits to take the tempurature. The way the care workers have to measure the temperature they will have to :

placing the thermometre regardless of its type under the tongue while closing their lips tightly.
leaving the thermometre inside the mouth for the time required while timing them on a stopwatch to get accurate results as possible. Some thermometres may give beeps when the results are shown.
removing the thermometre and reading the results.
cleaning the thermometre so it stops the spread of infections.

When nurses in care homes measure the tempurature of the service user sometime they might take innacurate tempuratue which maybe because:Inaccurate

service users not keeping their mouths tightly closed.
Taking the thermometre out before required.
Putting the thermometre in a wrong place.
Following the wrong instructions or no instructions.
Using low battery thermometre.
Taking the measure soon after meal.
Taking temperature soon after having a bath.

Providing support for service users while taking the pulse and tempurature:

Before the care workers can carry out any of the tasks above they had to make sure they ask the permission of service users which was ver important because there are many times were the care workers don’t ask the permission of the service users making them feel confused and scared as to why are they doing such a task and for what reason. The service users have to be told what is going to be done i.e. when taking the pulse rate of that service user the care workers will have to make sure they explain the procedure to them carefully and if the service users still doesn’t understand they will have to explain to them without getting angry or annoyed.

When John was taking pulse rate of Sienna, he did not inform her as to what was goingt o happen. As soonas he sat down next to Siena he started to put his two fingers on her wrist, because he did not explain to her what he is doing, Sienna got up and went out of the room complaining to another care worker about his behaviour towards her and how he was going to sexual attack her by starting of touching her wrist. So for this reason explaining fully to the service users is very important so they don’t start to panick or feel frightened like Sienna did.

The care workers will also have to make sure that they give any information about the results that thy get from the service users tests such as checking their pulse or their temperature. It is very important that they do this because it can reduces the stress and burden of the service users head if their result are positive however if they are negative then the care workers still need to give them it aswell as comforting them such as saying “its going to be okay.”

WhenMisha went to the doctors for regular health check the doctore told her that her pulse has gone lower then average due to not having a healthy balanced diet. When the doctors told her he told her in a way that will not put stress on Misha.

At some circumstance the care workers might have to give the service users emotional support such as making sure they are not upset or putting their selfs under pressure. They can also ask the service users what support or choice they would like in order to control their lives by asking them opinions, their likes ans dislikes. This an calm the service user down while doing their (care workers) duty. Valuing the service users s very important in care settings because it can make them feel as though someone does care for them and supports them.

Listening to the service user while doing their own duty is one of the things which makes the service users feel valued and cared for which is one of the important aspects in care settings such as when a service user is telling the care worker about his story when he went to his sisters house and how everyone was so happy to see him. Even if the care workers is not interested they can make sure for few minutes give up their time and listen to their stories, this might make the service user feel as though there is a friend out there for him to support his every step that he will take in life.

Even providing choices for service users will make them feel valued and cared for. The care workers for example say to them what would you like for dinner today tomatoes pizza or garlic bread. This is an example of providing them with choice rather then saying to them you are going to have tomatoe pizza no matter what, if you don’t like then don’t eat it. this type of language can frighten the service users who might be looking for support or help, this can stop them asking the care workers for help which can be very depressing for the weak service users making them hate every moment they spend in the residential home.

When a care worker is taking care of service users they must make sure they give them their right and concentrate on them fully by making then their moment. The care that they provide them should be what they are in need of at the moment such as when the care workers give them support for their needs. When the care workers are giving the service users support they will have to make sure they give them choices at the same time too for example when the care worker says to the service user what would you like to eat this or that. This is giving the service users quality of care.

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