9.1 Introduction
This unit covers care activities such as assisting with oxygen therapy and vital signs, and measuring height and weight. While administering oxygen is a restricted activity, as a Health Care Assistant you may be asked to care for clients receiving oxygen therapy. As an HCA you may also need to measure vital signs, such as taking a client’s temperature or pulse or measuring their respiratory rate. Vital signs must be accurately measured because they tell us a great deal about a client’s condition.
When assisting with oxygen therapy and vital signs, it is important to understand what type of care activity is required to help the client meet their needs and whether that care activity is within your HCA role. Remember, there are two types of care activities:
- Tasks: care activities that HCAs are educated and trained to perform as part of their assigned HCA role. For example, measuring temperature, pulse, respiratory rates, and height and weight are all tasks.
- Restricted activities: higher-risk care activities outlined in health professional regulations that an HCA cannot perform without authorization (delegation) by a regulated health professional, such as a registered nurse. Restricted activities are not considered HCA tasks. For example, administering oxygen is a restricted activity.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this unit, the successful student will be able to:
- Describe factors that affect oxygen needs.
- Discuss the safe use of oxygen.
- Identify oxygen concentrators, tanks (compressed oxygen) and liquate oxygen.
- Demonstrate how to deal with oxygen tubing.
- Describe vital signs.
- Demonstrate the measurement and recording of vital signs.
- Describe the importance of measuring height and weight.
- Demonstrate the measurement and recording of height and weight.
Terms to Know
- Alveoli
- Anemia
- Aorta
- Apical pulse
- Arteries
- Asthma
- Axillary
- Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure (BiPAP)
- Blood pressure
- Brachial
- Bradycardia
- Bronchial
- Carotid
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
- Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)
- Dermal
- Diastolic pressure
- Febrile
- Hemoglobin
- Hyperthermia
- Hypothalamus
- Hypothermia
- Oral
- Oxygenation
- Oxygen concentrator
- Oxygen saturation
- Peripheral vasoconstriction
- Peripheral vasodilation
- Pneumonia
- Pulse
- Pulse equality
- Pulse force
- Pulse oximeter
- Pulse pressure
- Pulse rate
- Pulse rhythm
- Radial pulse
- Rectal
- Respiration
- Stroke volume
- Supplemental oxygen
- Suctioning
- Systolic pressure
- Tachycardia
- Temperature
- Tympanic
Small sacs at the bottom of the lungs where oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange occur.
A deficiency in red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to the body’s tissues. Anemia can cause fatigue, weakness, and shortness of breath.
The main artery that carries oxygenated blood away from the heart.
The pulse found on the chest at the bottom tip or apex of the heart.
Blood vessels that bring oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the body cells and tissues.
A condition that affects the airways of the lungs, causing them to become narrower and making it difficult to breathe.
Relating to the armpit.
A machine that’s similar to a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device but has two pressure settings: one during inhalation and a lower setting during exhalation.
The amount of force exerted by the blood against artery walls.
The pulse found on the inner aspect of the upper arm.
A slow heart rate, less than 60 beats per minute.
Passageways that connect the trachea to the lungs.
Two main arteries that carry blood to the head and neck.
A chronic lung disease that causes obstructed airflow from the lungs. Emphysema and chronic bronchitis contribute to COPD.
A device used for people who are able to breathe spontaneously on their own but need help in keeping their airway unobstructed while they sleep.
Relating to the skin.
The pressure in the arteries when the heart is at rest.
To have a body temperature of higher than 38°C.
A protein found in red blood cells that combines with oxygen to carry to cells and tissues of the body.
A condition in which the core body temperature is excessively higher than normal.
The portion of the brain that maintains the body’s internal balance (homeostasis).
A condition in which the core body temperature drops below 35°C.
Relating to the mouth.
The addition of oxygen to the human body.
A device that takes in air from the room and filters out nitrogen.
A measure of how much hemoglobin is bound to oxygen compared to how much remains unbound.
Narrowing of the blood vessels in the extremities, such as the hands and feet.
Widening of the blood vessels in the extremities, such as the hands and feet.
An infection of the lungs caused by viruses, bacteria, or fungi.
The beat of the heart that is felt at an artery as blood passes through.
Refers to whether the pulse force is similar on both sides of the body.
The strength of the pulse felt by your fingers.
An electronic device that measures oxygen saturation.
The difference between systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
The number of pulsations felt over an artery in one minute.
The pattern of the pulse felt by your fingers.
The pulse found in the radial artery between the wrist bone and the tendon on the thumb side of the wrist.
Relating to the rectum, the last several centimetres of the large intestine.
The process of inhalation and exhalation that moves oxygen to the cells and removes carbon dioxide.
The amount of blood pumped out of the left bentricle of the heart during each contraction.
Providing extra or additional oxygen.
A method of removing mucous from the mouth and/or lungs.
The pressure in the arteries when the heart contracts.
A fast heart rate, over 100 beats per minute.
The degree of hear or cold in an object or a human body.
Relating to the eardrum.