Nursing Students' Skills of Monitoring, Measuring, Reporting and Attitudes towards Vital Signs in the Clinical Practice Process: An Observational Evaluation

Background Monitoring of vital signs is one of the most frequently practiced skills of nursing students in clinical practice. These findings are of critical importance in terms of evaluating the health status of individuals and early detection of clinical deterioration. This study aimed to examine nursing students' attitudes toward vital sign measurement, vital sign measurement skills, and abnormal finding reporting behaviors during clinical practice. Methods This descriptive and observational study was conducted with a sample of 63 second-year nursing students studying at the Faculty of Health Sciences of a university located in western Turkey. Data were collected using the following instruments: the Participant Information Form, the Vital Signs Scale, and the Vital Signs Measurement Assessment Observation Form. The study was conducted in accordance with the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines for reporting observational studies. Results The attitudes of the nursing students participating in the study towards measuring vital signs were found to be above the middle level. The analysis revealed that the majority of the students measured body temperature (100%), blood pressure (92.2%), and oxygen saturation (92.2%). However, pulse (34.4%) and respiration (37.5%) counts were not performed by approximately one-third of the students. It is noteworthy that students reported all abnormal findings in body temperature and oxygen saturation measurements to the nurses. However, no notification was made for abnormal findings detected in respiratory and pulse assessments. Furthermore, only 15.8% of students reported any abnormal findings concerning blood pressure measurements to the nursing staff. Conclusions The present study revealed that nursing students' attitudes toward measuring vital signs were, in general, positive. However, the study also identified deficiencies in pulse and respiratory assessments. Furthermore, the study found that the reporting rates of abnormal findings varied according to the type of measurement. There were also deficiencies in reporting, especially in critical parameters such as pulse, respiration, and blood pressure. These findings underscore the necessity for the refinement of educational programs to enhance nursing students' competencies in vital sign assessment and the reporting of abnormal conditions.