Too early for vitals?

[JDZ344]

Is it OK to take patient vitals earlier than scheduled if they are awake to use the bathroom or something? Maybe if they due at midnight but call for something at 11pm?

I do plan to ask the nurse next time I work, just wondering.

[funfunfun550, BSN, RN]

Take them when they are awake...and chart in the notation box"patient preference"(i.e to have vitals taken at that time. You could ask them if they want to be woke up again...in an hour...LOL...NO they will tell you and chart that!(everyplace has a comment box somewhere typically) I also believe in the hour before or after "rule" and it definitely is not wrong to take vitals early unless the patient objects. I have been a nurse a long time. If I can get 4 am vitals at 3am and get my assessments done...I do it....

[Graduation2016]

I guess it would depend on if they are getting specific medications that require that monitoring of vitals to be so exact. When I used to be a tech on mother/baby I would have the moms let me know when they first woke up to breast feed between 5:30 to 6am. If I had the whole floor by myself (23 patients tops) I would start vitals as early as 4:45 because it took me about 1.5 hrs to do the whole floor plus refill water pitchers and/or any other things in between. Best bet is to check with your nurses.

[funfunfun550, BSN, RN]

If they have a med that needs a pulse or bp when its given then the nurse will take the vitals when giving the med if applicable...i.e apical radial pulse before giving for example Lanoxin

[i_love_patient_care]

Where I worked, the nurses didn't mind as long as it was within an hour, so if it's a 6am vital, there was a two hour window of 5am-7am. Best to ask the nurses you work with.

[NICUmiiki, DNP, NP]

In clinicals, we get the noon vitals around 11 because we leave at 11:30. The nurses seem fine as long as its not earlier than an hour.