Counts & Records Radial Pulse — 방법
You take a radial pulse by feeling the artery on the thumb side of the wrist and counting the beats. The one idea that makes it click: count for a full 60 seconds and record within four beats of the evaluator — no shortcuts, no thumb.
단계별
- 1
Knock, wash your hands, introduce yourself, and identify the resident.
- 2
Explain what you are doing, provide for privacy, and have a watch with a second hand ready.
- 3
Rest the tips of two or three fingers on the thumb side of the resident's inner wrist to find the radial pulse. Never use your thumb — it has its own pulse.필수
- 4
Once you feel a steady beat, count the pulse for one full 60 seconds.필수
- 5
Note the rate, and observe whether the rhythm is regular and the beat is strong or weak.
- 6
Make the resident comfortable and place the call signal within reach.
- 7
Wash your hands.
- 8
Record the pulse rate and report anything abnormal to the nurse.필수
필수 단계 (놓치지 마세요)
- Count the full 60 seconds — never count 15 or 30 seconds and multiply.
- Your recorded rate must be within plus or minus 4 beats per minute of the evaluator's reading.
- Palpate with your fingertips on the thumb (radial) side of the wrist, never with your own thumb.
- Wash hands and record before leaving, and leave the signaling device within reach.
흔한 실수
- Counting for a partial period and multiplying, which loses accuracy on an irregular pulse.
- Using the thumb to palpate and accidentally counting your own pulse.
- Forgetting to record, or recording outside the plus/minus 4-beat tolerance.
- Leaving without placing the call light within the resident's reach.
왜 중요한가
The radial artery lies just under the skin at the wrist, so light fingertip pressure feels each heartbeat. A full minute captures any irregular beats that a 15- or 30-second count would miss, and the plus/minus 4-beat tolerance is the exam's proof that you actually counted rather than estimated.