Do you trust automatic "vitals" machines??

[Fairlythere]

At our hospital the CNA's use "robo nurses" to take vitals. It is relatively fast for them, taking BP and pulse and o2 sats at the same time. However the more I work, the less I trust them. It seems like one night the CNA reports all my pts. BP's are up, another night they are low. Or they can't get the machine to work. I take them manually to check. Sometimes I agree with the machine, sometimes not. Also the pulse ox seems weird. It will often show lower sats then the hand held machine.

When I was in RN school we were told to not use these machines, but the BP cuffs in the rooms are not always in good shape either. I do prefer to check my pts. pulses on both sides during an assessment if I can and at the same time I can accurately check respirations.

What do you all think about these machines? Does your facility use them???

[Lucky#13]

The automatic cuffs make the job of taking BP's faster, not accurate. If it's accuracy you want, then take the BP manually.

I actually had a suprise the other day with a continuous pulse oximeter...I never trust them for a pulse reading, the pt usually moves their finger. Well, the aide came out of a pts room and told me that her pulse on the cpo was 31..I said "those things are never right, take her pulse manually", and I also went into the room and placed my stethescope on her chest, apically. Her pulse was 34!

[Natingale, EdD, RN]

Ok I found this thread and its really interesting to hear all the points.

You know what this all boils down to ...staffing.

Theres no reason why a CA should have 18 patients, but it happens. I think the old school nurses had more time to do manual blood pressure because (im guessing) there werent *that* many patients.

The baby boomers are now old with cardiac/respi problems. So take the increase in patient population ..add in a nursing shortage, then you will have people who cut corners and mistakes happen.

I trust the machines to a degree because they have to be somewhat accurate, in order to be qualified for hospital use ..right? idk.

As a student nurse, I use manual. It beats the headache of telling my professor why I got a different reading (student:the dynamap said... -- prof: goodbye! arevadurche! sianorra!) Then again as a student nurse I have ONE patient.

[tammy07]

I do not trust them I have always take my own manually when my bp show high or low I have been told that they do not stay calibrated properly because they are constantly being jarred I dont know if that is true but I believe it could be.

[CNA2day]

Well I think the machines are a god send!

I am a CNA and I have 23 people on my hall. Sometimes I have another CNA to help me but often times I am on my own!

I work in a LTC facility so I help the residents with their ADL's.

Last night it was Vitals on everyone night! (once a month)

This was the first time I have ever had another aide on to help me. I did have to go back through and get manual vitals on some people, but since I have worked the same hall since August I knew who you could not get a reading on with the machine. As it was it took the girl a long time to get readings on everyone with the machine. I had 14 people in bed by the times she got the readings. If she would have had to do it all manually it would have taken way longer!!!

And to think I have always done vitals night on my own... no wonder I never get out of there on time!