This essay aims to provide a discussion of vital signs and how they are relevant to contemporary nursing practice. This is done by:• Discussing what vital signs are and when they are used in practice.• Why are vital signs relevant to contemporary nursing practice?• How are the skills performed taking into account the NMC code of practice (2008).• Discussing the potential risks associated with the use of automated blood pressure/pulse machine in relation to contemporary practice.• Summary of the main points discussed and indication of my interpretation of its relevance to contemporary professional nursing practice. Vital signs are the observation of the body's vital functions and show proof of the person's health status. It is used by nurses to evaluate the patient's blood pressure, temperature, pulse and breathing (Ackbarally,2012). This initially occurs upon admission or when arriving in different healthcare settings such as; transfer from hospital to a nursing home, during an emergency situation to help observe the person's condition, before and after the operation, before, during and after treatment, when the patient's general condition changes and also according to the collection of local or national data (Endacott et al, 2009) Nurses play an important role in influencing patient safety in daily activities and the gradual taking of patient vital signs has increasingly been seen as a chore rather than collecting clinical trials. This then creates extreme danger for the patient as irregular monitoring of vital signs prevents early detection of deterioration in the patient's condition, postponing transfer to the intensive care unit (Kyriacos U et al 2011; Boulanger, 2009). For this reason, a...... half of article ......monitoring vital signs in infants, children and adolescents [WWW] RCN . Available from http://www.rcn.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/114484/003196.pdf [Accessed 26/03/2013].SMITHS, S, DUELL, D and MARTIN, B (2008) Clinical Nursing Skills: Basic to Advanced Skills. New Jersey: Person Education Inc. STEVENSON, R (2012) Atrial fibrillation. Nursing standards. 27 (14) p.59.TREMAYNE, P and PARBOTEEAH, S (2006) Fundamental aspects of adult nursing procedure. London: MA Health care Limited.WILLIAMS, A. (2001) A study of practicing nurses' perceptions and experiences of intimacy within the nurse-patient relationship. Journal of Advanced Nursing. pp.188-96.WILLIAMS, P and POULTER NR et al (2004) Guidelines for the management of hypertension: report of the fourth working group of the British Hypertension Society. British Hypertension Society, pp. 139-85