The nurse did not report these abnormal findings to the patient's physician that evening. Both tachycardia and an elevated BP can be associated with agitation in elderly patients. Had the patient developed a stroke or complications, the lack of proper monitoring would also have been an issue. Anytime abnormal vitals are found they need to be followed up with more frequent repeat measurements. This is an independent Nursing action.
Most hospitals do vitals every shift, every four hours, two hours or hourly depending on the unit.
Following invasive procedures or during blood transfusions, they can be as often as every 15 minutes. The next morning, the patient was found lying in the street. He suffered severe injuries from the fall and would die. The family sued the doctor, nurses and hospital for a wrongful death. They focused on two facts in this case.