Counting Pulse Rate in 60 second

JamieB86517 · May 19, 2015

60 is more accurate

mvm2 · May 19, 2015

It depends on the situation. Some patients especially unstable patients pulse can all the sudden drop or speed up. Which if you only counted for 15 sec you could miss something.

Sometimes it is OK to take it for 30 sec and then add. I'd personally dont go less then that though. I just think taking it for 15 sec is a little less accurate. My opinion only though, there might be plenty of people who do it and it might be perfectly fine to do so

sallyrnrrt, ADN, RN · May 19, 2015

a regular rate pulse, no skipped or extra beats you can take the shortcuts, but you can not with atrial fib, fludder, and some nodal readings.......for the sane reason you can not always use the acuracy of a pulse ox .

brownbook · May 19, 2015

We have a funny (ha ha, being sarcastic) anesthesiologists. Once a nurse was joking that she always checked the patients pulse for 60 seconds. The anesthesiologists said in her annoyed, serious, tone of voice...."I don't have time to wait while you count for 60 seconds!" Roll of eyes!

As others said depends on the patient's condition, baseline heart rate, etc. In an otherwise stable healthy patient I do 15 seconds times four. If the pulse feels thready, irregular, etc. of course you will do longer.

But in all honesty all our patients are quickly put on pulse ox or EKG leads, we get the heart rate from the monitor.