Pulse is intended to be a count per minute. By only taking it for 15 seconds, then any error you make is multiplied by a factor of 4.
If you count 15 beats and multiply by 4, you get 60. But if you missed 2 of the beats, then the actual count should've been 68.
However, getting a pulse over a full minute can make a patient nervous and impatient - sometimes causing the pulse to go up.
So 15 seconds is the normal wait time unless there is a reason to suspect a problem. Either from other symptoms or a bad result. For example, if the patient had a very high blood pressure and a low pulse, chances are, one of those two test results are wrong. So a recheck with a longer time frame would be suggested.
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Taking a carotid pulse for only 15 seconds can be problematic because it may not accurately represent the heart rate. The carotid artery is close to the heart, and taking the pulse for a shorter duration may not capture the entire pulse waveform. To obtain a more accurate heart rate reading, it is recommended to measure the carotid pulse for at least 30 seconds or longer.
You should get a sufficintly accurate indication after 10 seconds and, that way, you save a whole 50 seconds!
In order to measure your pulse you may use a watch or clock with a second hand. Make a note of the rate of the pulse, which is the number of beats per minute. Check the strength of the pulse to see if it is strong or weak and if the rhythm is regular or irregular.If you don't have a watch or a clock around, the Cleveland Clinic Health System recommends counting the beats you feel for 15 seconds and multiplying this by four to get your heart rate per minute: Check your pulse: _______________ (beats in 15 seconds) x 4 = ________________(your pulse)[1] You can count beats for 30 seconds and multiply by 2.
radial pulse
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A beat is a regularly recurring pulse or stress point in the music, over which the melodic rhythm is overlaid. The essence of rhythmic music is a pulse which recurs at regular intervals, usually interspersed with lesser pulses which equally subdivide the time between the greater pulses. A march rhythm might be set up by having a pulse followed .5 seconds later with a lesser pulse, then the greater pulse .5 seconds later and so on. Each of these greater and lesser pulses is called a beat. Not all music emphasizes the beats; in some, the placement of the beats must be implied from the rhythm of the melody or melodies.