If a patient has been smoking, a health care worker should wait 15 minutes before taking which measurement?

When it comes to taking measurements such as blood pressure, pulse rate, and respiratory rate, smoking can influence these readings almost immediately. For instance, smoking can elevate blood pressure and heart rate while also causing changes in respiratory rate. However, oral temperature is not affected in the same way right after smoking.

Waiting 15 minutes before measuring oral temperature allows the patient's body temperature to stabilize, providing a more accurate measurement that is not influenced by the immediate effects of smoking, such as vasodilation from inhaling hot smoke. Thus, it is important for health care workers to consider the impact of smoking on oral temperature readings to ensure accurate health assessments.