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Respiratory Rate

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Despite its importance, respiration rates are being found to be documented less often that any other vital sign. . This may be due to inadequete understanding of the physiology of respiratory rate and the potential problems that an increased or decreased respiratory rate could mean. (Ansell, Meyer & Thompson 2014). Respiratory rate remains the only vital sign taken manually, without a machine, which could also contribute to why it is inconsistantly taken. Respiratory rate is a highly sensitive marker of patients’ conditions and of early signs of deterioration, and their assessment can help health practitioners detect subtle changes in patients’ physiology and reduce the risk of multi-organ damage, arrest or death. (Smith et al 2011, Cretikos

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