Vital Signs

Vital signs are life signs, used by the first aider to gather information about the casualty. They may be observed and mentally noted during the incident management or more formally recorded upon a casualty card at a convenient time. An understanding of vital signs allows for immediate reactive responses e.g. there is no breathing – I should resuscitate, or for a more proactive approach e.g. breathing rate is rising – should I check casualty again?

Vital signs provide information to make decisions.