Our medical providers have been treating patients via televisits for many weeks now. This has been an exceptional tool during this pandemic, for the patient, for the clinicians and for protecting the health of our community while trying to maintain social distancing.
One way that you, the patient, may help the clinician is by providing a set of vital signs with your televisit.
Vital signs (also known as vitals) are a group of the four to six important medical signs that indicate the status of the body’s (life-sustaining) functions. These measurements are taken to help assess the general physical health of a person, give clues to possible diseases, and show progress toward recovery. The normal ranges for a person’s vital signs vary with age, weight, gender and overall health.
There are five vital signs we would ideally like to have from you:
1 Body temperature
2 Heart rate or pulse
3 Respiratory rate
4 Blood pressure
- Oxygen saturation
Because many conditions like COVID-19 affect the respiratory system, it is helpful to know the oxygen saturation of the blood. You may have heard us call it the O2 Sat.
If you have any of the equipment at home to check these, please do so prior to your televisit.
You will need a thermometer, a blood pressure cuff, a timer to check your respiratory rate and pulse and an oxygen saturation monitor.
We realize you may not have these items at home. If you don’t have them, do not go out and try to buy them now. Stay at home. But, if you do have them, check your vitals prior to your visit. If you need help, the clinician can help you on the televisit.
All of our clinicians at Flagstaff Family Care in Flagstaff and Sedona are providing televisits and are here to help you with your medical needs and medical questions.
Please call and make an appointment. FBN
By Cindy Wade
Cindy Wade is the Practice Administrator at Flagstaff Family Care.
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