How long should you take a patient's pulse to obtain an accurate reading?

Taking a patient's pulse for one full minute allows for the most accurate reading of the heart rate. This duration is important because it ensures that you can capture any irregularities or fluctuations in the pulse that may occur over a complete cycle. Variability in heart rate can happen due to various factors such as physical activity, stress, or certain medical conditions. By measuring for a full minute, you can account for these variations and obtain an average that reflects the patient's true resting heart rate more reliably.

In contrast, shorter measurement periods, like 15 or 30 seconds, may not capture these variations adequately and thus might lead to an inaccurate representation of the pulse rate. These shorter measurements would require multiplying the observed pulse by a factor to estimate the beats per minute, which can introduce errors if the pulse is not consistent during that brief period. Measuring for two minutes might also be excessive and impractical, as it could lead to unnecessary discomfort for the patient. The standard practice in clinical settings is to take a full minute for the most precise reading.