As a home care OT, you are the patient's closest access to immediate medical attention when you are making your visit.  With increase in the frailty and vulnerability levels of the patients being discharged from the hospital to their homes, the burden falls on the healthcare providers serving them at home to identify when the need for more advanced help is required.  Knowing the normal parameters for vitals along with the signs of distress will make you a valuable source of information when you contact the primary care provider who will then direct the patient's next steps. 

Learn more about lung sounds and heart sounds to help you know what might be going on
https://www.easyauscultation.com/lung-sounds
Hospital readmission rates 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3802532/

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