Understanding Caregiving and Vital Signs

• Caregiving involves providing care and assistance to individuals who are ill, disabled, or require help with daily activities and also includes tending to the physical and emotional well-being of family members or friends at home.
• A caregiver supports individuals who cannot live independently due to developmental, physical, or psychological needs, providing assurance and assistance for a healthy life.
• Essential caregiver traits are compassion and patience, which are as vital as their skills and techniques.

Vital Signs

• Vital signs indicate bodily functions reflecting health, including body temperature, pulse rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure and sometimes pain.
• Body temperature measures body heat balance, with a normal adult temperature of 37 degrees Celsius, but a normal range exists.
• Blood pressure measures blood force against artery walls, noted in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg), with systolic pressure indicating heart beat pressure and diastolic pressure indicating pressure between beats.
• Pulse rate measures heart beats per minute, with normal adult rates ranging from 60 to 100 bpm.
• Respiratory rate measures breaths per minute, with a normal adult rate at rest being 12 to 20 breaths per minute.

Caregiving Tools, Materials, & Equipment

• Caregivers should be able to identify and properly use appropriate tools, materials, equipment, and paraphernalia for specific tasks to ensure success in healthcare.
• Tools for vital signs include BP apparatus aneroid (sphygmomanometer) which is a mercury-free unit with a self-testing cuff, built-in stethoscope, and automatic inflation/deflation and a stethoscope for listening to heartbeats, with a chest-placed circular piece and earpieces.
• A clinical thermometer measures body temperature, featuring a glass design with a mercury column that stays in position.
• For cleaning, washing, and ironing a bottle sterilizer is required.
• Baby bathtubs are used for bathing infants.
• A bedpan is for bedridden patients.
• Washing machine is an electric appliance used for washing clothes and linen.
• Flat iron is an appliance used to iron or press clothes, draperies and other linen and ironing board is used as a working surface in ironing cloth and other linen.
• For meal preparation a food processor is required
• A coffee maker is also need, as well as an air pot or thermos.
• A blender is used to blend, mix, puree, make, or emulsify.
• An electric can opener is useful to open canned goods.
• A knife is required and kitchen sheers are useful as well.
• A chopping board is used for cutting or chopping meat or vegetables.

Performing Calculations

• Accurate medicine administration is crucial for patient recovery and medication unit conversions are also essential caregiver skills.
• Three measurement systems in pharmacology are the household, metric, and apothecary systems.
• Household measurements include teaspoons, drops, ounces, cups, pints, quarts, gallons, and pounds.
• The apothecary system includes weight measurements like dram, ounce, grain (gr), scruple, and pound, plus volume units like fluid ounce, pint, minim, fluid dram, quart, and gallon.

Calculating Pediatric Dosages for Children

• Pediatric dosages should follow physician orders and drug labels, converting quantities accurately and seeking assistance when unsure.
• Children differ from adults, so pediatric patients are different from adults and inaccurate dosages can be harmful.
• Liquid medicine is preferrable for infants and young children as well has crushed tablets mixed with minimal water if liquid form is unavailable.
• Tools for pediatric oral drugs include cups for children, droppers and syringes for infants, and spoons with hollow handle for toddlers.
• Body Surface Area (BSA) Method is also called the dosage-per-kilogram-of bodyweight method and is the most accurate method, while Clark's Rule uses child weight, and Young's Rule applies to children two and above plus Fried's Rule is applicable to children two and under.
• Keep in mind the use of calculators, verifying drug information, and recording patient weight in kilograms.

Occupational Health and Safety Procedures

• Occupational health and safety includes maintaining worker well-being.
• Safe environments prevent injury and illness.
• These practices are created to protect co-workers, family members, clients, and other community members as well.
• A hazard is something that can cause harm, such as chemicals, electricity, or poor ventilation.
• Risk measures the possibility of individuals being harmed by hazards and harm seriousness.

Types of Hazards

• Physical hazards in the workplace are common but often overlooked and examples include electrical hazards, noise, and floor spills.
• Biological hazards occur with exposure to animals, people, or infectious materials and examples include blood or body fluids, fungi, bacteria, viruses, and contaminated wastes and effects like infections, allergies, and skin irritations.
• Ergonomic hazards occur from work conditions that strain the body and examples include standing, bending, lifting, awkward movements, and repetition and these lead to muscle strain, back injury, impacting wrists, or numbness.
• Chemical hazards arise from workplace chemical exposure, causing irritation, illness, breathing problems, and allergies.
• Psychological hazards emerge from stressful work environments, leading to depression, anxiety, loss of confidence, and burnout.

Recognizing Hazards and Risks in the Workplace

• Healthcare workers must be aware of workplace health and safety problems, assess hazards, and implement preventive measures.
• Determining health & safety problems can be accomplish by observing the workplace, examining co-worker complaints, and checking past accidents.

Evaluating and Controlling Hazards and Risks

• Addressing hazards involves risk assessment, focusing on important risks.
• Simple measures can control risks by addressing likelihood, severity, and worker exposure.
• Maintain records of risk assessments to trace overlooked hazards.
• Workplace hazards can be controlled in different processes and five categories are elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, and PPE.
• Elimination is fully removing hazards, substitution replaces dangerous materials, while engineering controls modify machinery to reduce hazards.
• Administrative controls limit exposure hours whilst PPE includes ear and eye protection.
• Combination of methods is ideal.

Steps in Taking Blood Pressure Accurately

• Begin by washing hands and prepare equipment.
• Introduce yourself and explain the procedure.
• Clean stethoscope earpieces with antiseptic.
• Position the client comfortably, whether lying down or sitting.
• Position the measuring scale at eye level when using a mercurial apparatus.
• Expose the client's arm, resting it fully extended.
• Deflate the cuff completely by unrolling, loosening, and squeezing it
• Wrap the cuff around the arm above the elbow, ensuring it's not too tight or loose.
• Locate the brachial pulse inside the elbow and inflate the cuff to the point where the pulse disappears noting the reading for palpated systolic pressure.
• Insert the stethoscope earpieces, positioning the diaphragm on the brachial pulse.
• Inflate the cuff 30 mm above the palpated systolic pressure, then slowly release air to listen for the first pulse sound indicating systolic pressure.
• Continue releasing air to note when sounds change/disappear, indicating diastolic pressure.
• Deflate the cuff.
• Remove it. Record the client's chart reading.
• Clean equipment and wash hands.

Steps in Taking Temperature using Digital Thermometer

• Wash hands and prepare the thermometer.
• Clean the thermometer probe with alcohol or soap and water.
• Explain the procedure to the person.
• Place the thermometer under the armpit, ensuring it is held in place as needed.
• Wait for the thermometer signal.
• Remove and read the display.
• Clean the probe with alcohol and replace the cover, then store the thernometer and record the reading.

Steps in Taking Pulse Rate

• Start with the palm facing up.
• Position three middle fingers on the wrist's upper groove below the thumb.
• Press to feel the rhythm of the subtle pulse.
• Count pulses for 30 seconds.
• Double the count for bpm.

Explore the fundamentals of caregiving, focusing on the essential roles and traits of caregivers in supporting individuals with various needs. Learn about vital signs, including body temperature and blood pressure, as key indicators of health and well-being. Gain insights into maintaining the physical and emotional comfort of those under care.