Adults Pulse Rate
Are you seeking to learn more about your heart? By accessing our Adult Pulse Rate Chart, you can access information about the heart's inner workings.
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What is an Adult Pulse Rate Chart?
An Adult Pulse Rate Chart is a visual resource designed to help adults and healthcare providers monitor pulse and heart functioning according to normative pulse rates. Pulse measures heart rate, where individuals and healthcare practitioners find the pulse at a main artery and count how many times they feel a pulse within a minute. This is known as heart rate, measured in beats per minute (bpm) (Cleveland Clinic, 2022).
As a reference tool, the adult pulse rate chart can provide insight into how well an adult’s heart functions relative to their age bracket's average heart or pulse rate. Every time you feel a pulse, the pressure in the arteries increases and decreases, creating a rhythmic heartbeat. This pressure comes from the heart, which contracts at every pulse to circulate oxygenated blood through the arteries to deliver oxygen and nutrients to keep your body and its vital organs working (Heart Foundation, n.d.). Pulse rates can be felt in arteries running through the neck, wrist, elbow, and other body parts (Cleveland Clinic, 2022).
For adults, a normal pulse (heart) rate can sit anywhere between 60 to 100 bpm amongst adults (Heart Foundation, n.d.). However, the heart adapts its rhythm according to the environment and the activity the individual performs to meet the body's needs. When the body performs higher-intensity activities like running or experiencing an environmental stressor that elicits responses like fear, the heart increases its rate from resting to preparing the body to move or in response to movement. When an individual is relaxed, the heart rate will likely drop back to the resting pulse rate (Cleveland Clinic, 2022). Adults and healthcare practitioners can use the pulse rate chart to gauge heart health and overall well-being.
Pulse rate can also be affected by factors such as medications, physical fitness, and stress, which can help healthcare practitioners like general practitioners, nurses, and health coaches identify whether health interventions are working effectively and inform any changes to treatment (LeWine, 2023).
Downloadable Adults Pulse Rate PDF
Check out our free Adults Pulse Rate PDF here
How Does it Work?
The pulse rate chart is a reference tool for adults and healthcare practitioners to measure heart health and heart function and can be a first-line indicator for underlying health conditions. It does this by providing a reference pulse rate chart, which compares an adult’s pulse and the normal pulse range for their age group. Here are some steps to guide you through how our chart works:
Step 1: Access the Adult Pulse Rate Chart
Obtain our Printable Adult Pulse Rate Chart here, or download it as a PDF using the link below.
Step 2: Find the Pulse Point
You can find the pulse point by fusing the index and middle fingers to find an artery. Taking care to use light pressure, try the following areas:
- Neck - carotid artery: using your fingers, trace from the earlobe down below the corner of the jaw
- Wrist-radial artery: with your palm facing up, press lightly against the area in which the muscles of the thumb meet the wrist.
- Inside the elbow - brachial artery: with your palm facing up, use your fingers to feel the hollow area inside of the elbow. From here, trace your fingers towards the body until you feel the pulse.
Practitioners may also find a pulse in the abdominal aorta (belly), popliteal artery (behind the knee), and apical artery (chest).
Adults Pulse Rate Chart Example (Sample)
To give you an idea of how our Adult Pulse Rate Chart works in practice, we have carefully constructed an example you can reference. This is just one of the many resources we provide for free at Carepatron that can help enhance health protocols to improve the health and experience of your clients. Please consider that this is an example that should not substitute individualized health advice.
You can access our Adult Pulse Rate Chart Example here or download the PDF version below.
Download the free Adult Pulse Rate Chart Example PDF here
When Would You Use This Chart?
Although the adult pulse rate chart can be used in various scenarios, it is primarily effective for situations requiring measurement or close monitoring of pulse rate amongst adults. This is primarily useful for adults wanting to check their pulse in relation to their normative age range and healthcare practitioners such as health coaches, nurses, and general practitioners. The following are some situations in which adult pulse rate charts could be used for:
Indicator of Health
Pulse rate can provide information regarding heart health and functioning, as well as be indicative of other underlying conditions. Conditions like endocrine or hormonal abnormalities, tachycardia, and anemia are often difficult to diagnose, but can have been observed to affect heart rhythms. The pulse rate chart healthcare practitioners may be able to identify these conditions earlier, using further screening tools for diagnosis (DiGiacinto & Seladi-Schulman, 2023).
Monitoring Medication Use
Many prescription medications, like beta blockers and asthma medications, can influence pulse rate. To ensure these medications do not impact heart functioning or health outside of their target function, healthcare practitioners such as pharmacists and general practitioners may use the pulse rate chart to monitor any side effects on the heart. This can help inform dosage and the types of medication prescribed (British Heart Foundation, n.d.).
Long-Term Health Plans
As adults continue along their lifespan, health practitioners such as health coaches and general practitioners may begin implementing health prevention plans or provide recommendations for lifestyles to ensure the longevity and maintenance of the patient's health. This is often based on the patient’s health status, which is appraised using routine measures like pulse rate. The pulse rate chart can then be used to indicate the patient’s heart and overall health, allowing practitioners to manage prevention or health plans proactively.
What do the Results Mean?
Individual results using the adult pulse rate chart may differ depending on various factors. These may include air temperature, physical fitness, age, and prescribed medication use (American Heart Association, 2023). Here are some common results an adult may experience using a pulse rate chart and what it may mean for them:
Normal Resting Pulse (Heart) Rate
Adults may have a pulse rate within the normative pulse ranges for their age. This may indicate good heart functioning and overall health. However, as adults age, it is important to monitor their pulse rate. Adults may do these independently occasionally, but it could be beneficial to have this measured by their healthcare provider annually as a primary prevention for future health risks or conditions.
Low Pulse Rate (Bradycardia)
Adults may feel a very slow pulse, called bradycardia, where the pulse is below 60 bpm. When the pulse is at a rhythm this low, individuals may also experience dizziness or fainting. If you or a client suspects bradycardia, it is critical to seek further health consultancy and screenings for diagnoses and treatment (Cleveland Clinic, 2022; Hipp, 2023).
High Pulse Rate (Tachycardia)
There is a potential to observe abnormally high pulse rates, over 100 bpm at rest. This may feel like the heart is racing for a prolonged period and can be accompanied or caused by dehydration, nicotine withdrawal, infection, or fever. If any adults or patients show any of these signs, it is imperative to seek health advice as soon as possible, as it may lead to further health complications like strokes (Cleveland Clinic,2 022).
Irregular Pulse (Arrhythmia)
Adults may also show an irregular pulse, which may feel like a missing beat, a racing heart, or unusual slowness. If you or a patient is showing signs of arrhythmia, it is important to run further diagnoses as this may indicate underlying health conditions.
You can use the pulse rate chart to better understand heart functioning and overall health by accessing our Free Adult Pulse Rate Chart here.
Why Use Carepatron as Your Adults Pulse Rate App?
Carepatron is the ideal Adult Pulse Rate Chart app and software for monitoring adult pulse rate, early diagnosis, and understanding overall health status. As an online platform, Carepatron provides an all-in-one experience, which includes appointment scheduling, clinical documentation, and electronic patient records that reduce the time and resources taken up by typical healthcare practices. This allows you to spend more time managing client health and providing the best care.
Our patient portal allows for effective communication channels and provides patients access to their records for a more transparent, engaging approach to managing their health. This means that patients can also document any changes they experience, which they can then use as references in their healthcare consultations, encouraging a more collaborative healthcare provider-patient relationship. By providing opportunities for collaboration, patients have the freedom to make informed decisions and are actively engaged in discussions with their healthcare provider to devise effective treatment programs.
As a company, we at Carepatron are always searching for practical solutions that enable healthcare providers and patients to have the best health management experience. With thousands of resources and software features, our company can help enhance your healthcare protocols to provide optimal care.
References
American Heart Association (2023). All About Heart Rate (Pulse). American Heart Association. https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/the-facts-about-high-blood-pressure/all-about-heart-rate-pulse
British Heart Foundation, (n.d.). What is a normal pulse rate? Heart Matters magazine. https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/medical/ask-the-experts/pulse-rate
Cleveland Clinic (2022). Pulse & Rate, Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/17402-pulse--heart-rate
DiGiacinto, J., & Seladi-Schulman, J. (2023). What is a Dangerous Heart Rate? Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/dangerous-heart-rate#for-adults
Heart Foundation (n.d.). Understanding your pulse (heart rate). The National Heart Foundation of New Zealand. https://www.heartfoundation.org.nz/wellbeing/managing-risk/how-to-check-your-pulse-heart-rate
Hipp, D. (2023). Normal Resting Heart Rate by Age. ForbesHealth https://www.forbes.com/health/healthy-aging/normal-heart-rate-by-age/
Lewine, H. E. (2023). What is a normal heart rate? What your heart rate is telling you. Harvard Health Publishing. Harvard Medical School. https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/what-your-heart-rate-is-telling-you
Shaikh, J., Jacob, D., Uttekar, P. S., (2022). What Is a Good Heart Rate for My Age Chart? MedicineNet. https://www.medicinenet.com/what_is_a_good_heart_rate_for_my_age/article.htm
Commonly asked questions
Any adult or healthcare provider wanting to investigate heart functioning can request an adult pulse rate chart. This is typically done by healthcare providers such as nurses, general practitioners, and health coaches, who may use the chart as a screening tool for initial health diagnostics.
These charts are used for a variety of scenarios but are most explicitly linked as a resource for investigating heart functioning and overall health screening.
The chart is used as a reference tool that compares an adult’s pulse (heart) rate with the normal pulse rate for their age group.
Once the pulse has been found and the pulse rate has been recorded, the chart can be completed in a matter of minutes by adults or their healthcare providers.
