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Recording Patient Vitals

Capture blood pressure, temperature, pulse, respiratory rate, weight, height, SpO2, and blood sugar

3 min read

Overview

Recording vitals is typically the first clinical step after a patient enters the consultation room. SehaFile captures nine vital parameters in a structured form that stores values with proper units and timestamps. Vitals data is used for trend tracking across visits, automatic alerts for abnormal values, and is included in the patient's unified health profile synced to their citizen account.

Vitals form showing blood pressure fields, pulse, temperature, SpO2, weight, and height inputs with unit labels

Steps to Record Vitals

  1. Open the active visit — From the dashboard or Visits > Today, click on a visit in “in_progress” status to open the visit workspace.
  2. Navigate to the Vitals section — In the visit workspace, the vitals panel is the first section labeled العلامات الحيوية (Vitals). Click the section header to expand it if collapsed.
  3. Enter blood pressure — Fill in two fields:
    • Systolic (انقباضي) — Enter the upper value in mmHg (e.g., 120)
    • Diastolic (انبساطي) — Enter the lower value in mmHg (e.g., 80)
  4. Enter pulse — Record heart rate in beats per minute (bpm). Normal range: 60-100.
  5. Enter temperature — Input in degrees Celsius with one decimal place (e.g., 37.0). The field accepts values from 34.0 to 42.0.
  6. Enter respiratory rate — Breaths per minute. Normal adult range: 12-20.
  7. Enter weight and height — Weight in kilograms, height in centimeters. The system auto-calculates BMI if both are provided.
  8. Enter SpO2 — Oxygen saturation percentage. Normal: 95-100%.
  9. Enter blood sugar — Fasting or random glucose in mg/dL.
  10. Click “Save Vitals” — The system records the timestamp automatically via the recorded_at field.
Nurses can record vitals before the doctor starts the consultation. When a nurse saves vitals, they appear immediately in the doctor's visit workspace. The doctor can add additional readings or correct values.

Abnormal Value Alerts

SehaFile highlights vitals outside normal ranges with color-coded borders:

  • Red border — Critical values (e.g., BP > 180/120, SpO2 < 90%, Temp > 39.5)
  • Yellow border — Borderline values (e.g., BP 140-179/90-119, pulse > 100)
All vital fields are optional individually, but recording at least blood pressure and pulse is recommended for complete clinical documentation. Empty vital records cannot be saved.

FAQ

Can I record vitals multiple times during one visit?

Yes. Each save creates a new vitals record with its own timestamp. Previous readings are preserved and visible in the vitals history for that visit.

Where do vitals appear in the patient profile?

Vitals are synced to the citizen health profile and appear under the patient's medical summary with trend charts showing values over time.

What units does the system use?

Blood pressure in mmHg, temperature in Celsius, weight in kg, height in cm, blood sugar in mg/dL, SpO2 as percentage, pulse and respiratory rate as per minute.

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