Measurement

• Accuracy in preparation of medications

• Assessment of patients by measurement of vital signs.

Motion

• Inertia in accidents

• Physiological reaction to high velocity centrifuges.

Gravity

• Circulation of blood

• Postural drainage

• Postoperative position

• ESR estimation

• Dependent position for edema patient

Center of Gravity

• Body mechanics

• Lifting and turning patients

• Crutch walking

Specific Gravity

• Underwater exercises

• Examination of the body fluids

Force

• Torques in traction

• Muscle action

• Vector addition and analysis in traction

Pressure

• Suction
• Internal and external respiration

• Positive pressure

• Oxygen therapy ventilation

• Administration of irrigation and parenteral fluid

Heat

• Thermometry

• Application of heat and cold application

• Steam inhalation

• Basal metabolism

• Thermography

• Autoclave and sterilization

Light and Sound

• Actions of lenses

• Use of mirrors in apparatus

• Microscopy

• Ophthalmoscope

• Refraction

• Visual fields

• Audiometery

• Human audibility Electricity

• Patient monitors, ECG,

• Diathermy EEG, EMG

• Electrosurgical procedures

• Electric shock therapy

• Use of transistors in
• Cardiac pacemakers apparatus

Work and Energy

• Circulation of blood

• Pulse formation

• Work done by heart and skeletal muscles

• Artificial kidney

• Colloidal dispersions

• Surface tension of antiseptics

• Viscosity of blood.

• High energy radiation

• X-ray therapy

• Radioisotopes

• Tracer studies of metabolism

• Precautions in use of radioactive material

• Half-life in radiotherapy

CONCEPT OF UNIT Nursing care/health cares demands several measurement tasks like measuring vital
signs, patient’s height, weight, body mass index, 24 hours fluid balance, and so many others. In this
situation, a nurse/ health care technician takes a measurement of physical quantity and compare
measured value of physical quantity with a standard to determine its relationship with that standard.

The standards of measurement is called a unit. “The unit of any measurement is defined as a
conventional quantity used as the reference or standard of measurement to which measurements with
that unit can be compared.”

FUNDAMENTAL AND DERIVED UNITS The unit of measurement is fixed by definition and is independent
of such physical conditions as temperature, humidity, etc.

The numerical value of a physical quantity, therefore, refers to the number of standard unit of
measurement.

For example, when we say that a patient’s temperature is 38°C, it means that the patient’s temperature
is 38 times the unit of measurement, called degree Celsius (°C).
Thus measurement of any quantity has two characteristics—a numerical value and a unit. For example,
you measure the birth weight of a baby as 3.5 kg. Then 3.5 is the numerical value and Kg is the unit.
Although the number of physical quantities that we measure is very large, we do not need a very large
number of standards to compare every measurement.

It is so because all the physical quantities are not independent quantities in so far as their measurement
is concerned. For example, velocity of a body is measured in units of length (meter) and time (seconds).
A few independent standards have been chosen to fix the units of certain physical quantities.

The measurement of most of the other physical quantities can be expressed in terms of these
independent standards. These independent standards are length, mass and time. Such units fixed by
independent standards are called fundamental units.

For example, – One meter: the unit of length, – One kilogram: the unit of mass and – One second: the
units of time are fundamental units.

“Fundamental units are those units, which can neither be derived from one another, nor can they be
further resolved into any other units.”

Units of measurement of many physical quantities such as density, speed, volume, pressure and force
can be derived from these fundamental or basic units using physical equations. These units are called
derived units.

For example, the unit of volume is cubic meter which is derived from the unit of length. Speed is
defined as distance covered per unit time and its unit is m/s. The unit of speed is derived from units of
length and time.

“Units of various physical quantities, which can be expressed in terms of the fundamental units of mass,
length and time, are called derived units.”

SYSTEMS OF UNITS There are several systems of units that have been used for measuring physical
quantities.

The commonly used systems are the CGS (Centimeter gram second), the FPS (Foot pound, second), the
MKS (Meter kilogram, second) and the SI (System internationale).

They differ from each other because different standards of measurement are used for fundamental
quantities. The two systems of measurement most frequently used in nursing practice are the MKS (also
called metric) and the FPS (also called English).

FUNDAMENTAL UNITS IN VARIOUS SYSTEMS Unit of Length Length can be defined as the distance
between two points in space. The unit of length in English system is the foot. The unit of length in the
Metric system is the meter. In health care system one can observe use of both the system like patient’s
height recorded in feet, whereas small size papule on skin is measured in millimeters. Similarly, in
microscopic work, a very small unit– micron is used.
The micron is 1/1,000 mm.

Physical CGS system FPS system MKS system SI system quantity

Length Centimeter (cm) Foot (f) Meter (m) Meter (m) Mass Gram (gm) Pound (d) Kilogram (kg) Kilogram
(kg) Time Second (s) Second (s) Second (s) Second (s) Temperature — Fahrenheit (F) Celsius (°C) Kelvin
(K) Electric current — — — Ampere (A) Light intensity — — — Candela (Cd) Amount of — — — Mole
(mol) ,Table 1.2: Multiples of units of length in English and Metric systems English system Metric system

12 inches = 1 foot 10 millimeters (mm) = 1 centimeter (cm) 3 feet = 1 yard 10 centimeter (cm) = 1
decimeter 5 ½ yard = 1 rod 10 decimeter = 1 meter (m) 1,760 Yard = 1 mile 10 meters = 1 decameter
5,2800020feet = 1 mile 10 decameters = 1 hectometer 10 hectometers = 1 kilometer (km) 10 kilometers
= 1 myriameter

Note: 1 feet = 12 inches = 30 cm (1 inch = 2.5 cm.