Assessment Techniques

Goal of Physical exam

Assessment of an individual’s health state

Overall impression of the person as a whole

The Basics

• height

• weight

• temperature

• pulse

• respiration

• O2 saturation

• blood pressure

Hospital/bedside assessment

modified exam rather than complete head to toe screening exam

• Integument

• C-V

• Respiratory

• Abdominal

• G-U

• Musculoskeletal

• Neuro

If there is a problem

GO there FIRST

Examination Techniques

• Inspections

• Palpation

• Percussion

• Auscultation

Inspection

• Purposeful watching/looking

• Begins with your “first look”

• Compare side by side

Palpation

• Applies sense of touch

• Texture, temp, moisture, organ location and size, location and size, swelling, vibration, pulsation, presence of masses

• Start with light palpation, then go deeper

  • light palpation- 1cm

  • deep palpation- 2-3cm

• Use bimanual palpation in some cases

Percussion

• Tapping with short strokes to assess underlying structures

• Assesses location, size, and density

• Elicits pain

Auscultation

• listening to sounds produced by heart, blood vessels, and lungs

• DiapHragm- is best for high pitched sounds

• BelL- is best for low pitched sounds

• Listen skin to stethoscope