What is the safest way to record vitals in an isolation room?

Nurses General Nursing

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I am currently in Nursing school. Last week I had my first isolation patient. I was very confused as to how to record the vital signs without contaminating anything. The charts are outside the patient's room, and BP, HR, O2, Weight, and temp is just too much for me to keep in my head without the risk of making a mistake. When I asked my instructer she told me to write the vitals on my glove. This just didn't make sense to me because I had to wear the glove out of the room and PPE should be taken off before exiting the patient's room. Anyway, I was just hoping some experienced nurses might have some advice on the best way to do this without putting others at risk! Thanks!

You can write them down on a paper towel and stick it on the door frame with a piece of tape.

Specializes in Acute Spine, Neuro, Thoracic's, LTC.

I usually call them out to one of my co-workers who will write them down for me.

Specializes in Phlebotomist, nursing student.

I'm a nursing student too. I've been writing them on the white board so I can see them when I leave the room and take off my PPE. Then I can write them on my brain sheet.

Specializes in Psych.

I'm lucky in that there are computers in every pt room at the hospital we are at this semester

Specializes in NICU.
I'm a nursing student too. I've been writing them on the white board so I can see them when I leave the room and take off my PPE. Then I can write them on my brain sheet.

That was what I would do. Also nice for the A&O pts who liked to know their vitals. I also have gotten good at remembering all the numbers.

Specializes in ER, ICU.

Yeah, don't take the glove out of the room, smack your instructor in the forehead for me (do I need to say kidding?) after you take the glove off. The other comments were right on.

Specializes in Medical.

We have so many patients in isolation that I've become pretty adept at remembering BP/PR, SaO2/RR/SaO2/BSL, weight and output - though not for more than a few minutes!

Specializes in Med-Surg.

I usually write them on the dry erase board in the room or I get an extra pen and leave it in the room and write vitals on a paper towel.

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

i write them on a paper towel and tape that to the window in the door. or to the sliding glass doors. tape will pull the paint right off the walls or door frame, so it goes on glass. or i put them into the handy dandy bedside computer.

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