2 Vital signs
Traditionally, the monitoring of vital signs has been used to alert healthcare providers of critical changes in health
status . These bio-markers have historically included the physiologically-based parameters of temperature, pulse,
respirations, and blood pressure. Deviations from normal are classically correlated with more or less risk of increased
mortality . Researchers have attempted to understand more clearly the relationship between the changes in vitals
signs and the potential for adverse outcomes . Although they consistently report that a change in respiratory rate of
hospitalized individuals is a strong predictor of life-threatening outcomes, researchers also note that respiratory rates are
frequently not recorded by clinicians even when individuals are hospitalized in acute care settings . In situations of
inadequate documentation, researchers suggest that dyspnea or notations of difficulty breathing have been used as a proxy
for respiratory rate [17]. Such work serves to highlight the importance of monitoring change in an individual’s present level
of dyspnea; dyspnea as a potential additional vital sign in the monitoring of risk for adverse events for individuals with
lung disease.