Physical Examination and Health Assessment Review Flashcards

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts, diagnostic signs, and assessment techniques from Seidel's Guide to Physical Examination, 10th Edition.

Stereotype

A fixed image of any group that rejects its potential for originality or individuality.

Acculturation

The process of adopting another culture’s behaviors.

Cultural Desire

The motivation of the healthcare professional to "want to" engage in the process of becoming culturally competent, rather than feeling they "have to".

Enculturation

The process whereby an individual assumes the traits and behaviors of a given culture; it significantly determines an individual's definition of illness.

Leading Question

A type of question that limits the information in a patient’s answer by suggesting a specific response, such as, "You don’t get headaches often, do you?"

CRAFFT

A screening tool specifically used to identify alcoholism in adolescents.

CAGE

A screening tool used to identify alcoholism in adults.

Functional Assessment

An assessment of a patient’s mobility, upper extremity movement, household management, and Activities of Daily Living ($ADL$).

Constitutional Symptoms

General symptoms in the Review of Systems ($ROS$) that include pain, fever, chills, malaise, fatigue, night sweats, sleep patterns, and weight changes.

Standard Precautions

Guidelines requiring handwashing after touching body fluids or contaminated items, regardless of whether gloves are worn, and between all patient contacts.

Tangential Lighting

Secondary lighting used to cast shadows to best observe contours and variations in body surfaces.

Ulnar Surface

The part of the hand and bases of the fingers best suited for feeling vibratory sensations such as thrills and fremitus.

Dorsal Surface

The back of the hand, which is best for assessing skin temperature or warmth.

Resonance

A loud percussion tone expected over healthy lung tissue.

Tympany

A percussion tone expected over an empty stomach or most of the abdomen.

Dullness

A percussion tone heard over dense areas such as the liver or with atelectasis in the lungs.

Transillumination

A technique functioning on the principle that air, fluid, and tissue transmit light differentially; it is used to differentiate media in a cavity.

Specificity

The ability of a diagnostic test to correctly identify those who do NOT have the disease.

Sensitivity

The ability of a diagnostic test to correctly identify those who DO have the disease.

Utilitarianism

A principle involving the appropriate use of resources with concern for the greater good of the larger community; often summarized as "choosing wisely."

Pyrexia

A fever response triggered by the production and release of prostaglandins.

Sustained Tachycardia

In a neonate, a pulse rate that remains high and may be the first indication of an infection.

Wernicke Area

A region in the temporal lobe responsible for the comprehension of spoken and written language.

Mini-Mental State Examination ($MMSE$)

A standard tool used to estimate cognitive function quantitatively or document cognitive changes serially.

Proprioception

The awareness of body position and recognition of body parts, primarily dependent on the parietal lobe.

Graphesthesia

The ability to recognize a number or figure traced on the skin.

Stereognosis

The ability to recognize the weight, form, and nature of solid objects by touch and manipulation.

Dementia

A progressive and irreversible clinical syndrome involving the loss of immediate and recent memory while retaining remote memory.

Delirium

An acute, potentially reversible state of confusion.

Glasgow Coma Scale

A tool used to quantify consciousness in patients with an altered level of consciousness.

Macronutrients

Nutrients required in large amounts, including carbohydrates, protein, and fat.

Ballard Assessment Tool

An assessment of physical and neuromuscular characteristics administered within $36$ hours of birth to confirm newborn gestational age.

Acromegaly

A condition characterized by a prominent forehead, large nose, large jaw, and elongation of facial bones and extremities.

Cushing Syndrome

A condition associated with a round face, preauricular fat, hyperpigmentation, and a "buffalo hump" in the posterior cervical area.

Hypodermis

The skin layer consisting of adipose tissue that generates heat, provides insulation, shock absorption, and calorie reserves.

Matrix

The white crescent-shaped area beyond the proximal nail fold which serves as the site of new nail growth.

Vitiligo

Unpigmented white areas on the skin caused by the absence of melanin.

Peau d’orange

Skin appearance resembling an orange peel, often first evident on or around the nipple in patients with breast cancer.

Turgor

A skin check performed to determine hydration status; skin will remain "tented" if the patient is dehydrated.

Wood’s Lamp

A lamp used to distinguish fluorescing lesions, which show a characteristic yellow-green color.

Virchow Nodes

Another name for the supraclavicular lymph nodes; enlargement is of special concern for malignancy.

Lymphangitis

Inflammation of the lymphatic vessels, often evident by a red streak following the path of the lymphatic duct.

Torticollis

A condition, often the result of birth injury, where the head is tilted to one side; screened during neonatal head and neck assessments.

Cephalohematoma

A subperiosteal collection of blood that is bound by suture lines and often unnoticed at birth.

Nuchal Rigidity

Stiffness and inability to flex the neck, representing a classic symptom of meningeal irritation or intracranial hemorrhage.

Presbyopia

A weakening of accommodation typically developing by the age of $45$ years.

Ptosis

A condition where the upper eyelid droops, covering more of the iris than the other lid.

Lagophthalmos

A condition where the eyelids do not completely meet to cover the globe.

Miosis

Pupil constriction to less than $2\,mm$; failure to dilate in the dark is common with opioid ingestion.

Presbycusis

Sensorineural hearing loss occurring after $50$ years of age, initially affecting high-frequency sounds.

Angle of Louis

The manubriosternal junction, which corresponds to the second rib and serves as a reference point for counting ribs.

Platypnea

Dyspnea that increases when the patient is in an upright posture.

Orthopnea

Dyspnea that worsens when the person lies down.

Thrill

A fine, palpable, rushing vibration over the heart, representing a palpable murmur and disrupted blood flow.

Lift or Heave

An apical impulse that is more vigorous than expected.

Claudication

Pain in the legs, a common symptom of peripheral arterial disease, consistent with thin skin and loss of hair over extremities.

Raynaud Phenomenon

A condition involving vasospasm, characterized by triphasic skin color changes (white, cyanotic, and reperfused).

Chadwick Sign

A bluish color of the cervix that occurs during pregnancy.

Goodell Sign

The softening of the cervix that occurs during pregnancy.

Phimosis

A condition in the male where the foreskin is tight and cannot be easily retracted; often congenital or due to infection.

Paraphimosis

A condition where the retracted foreskin of the penis cannot be replaced to its normal position behind the glans.

Cremasteric Reflex

A reflex tested by stroking the inner thigh, which should result in the testicle and scrotum rising on the stroked side.

Borborygmi

Prolonged loud gurgling bowel sounds associated with gastroenteritis, early obstruction, or hunger.

Diastasis Recti

A midline abdominal ridge that rises between the rectus muscles when a supine patient raises their head and shoulders.

Grey Turner Sign

Ecchymosis of the flanks, which provides an indication of pancreatitis.

Cullen Sign

Ecchymosis around the umbilicus.

Goniometer

A device used to accurately measure the angle of a joint and its range of motion.

Kyphosis

An exaggerated outward curvature of the thoracic spine, most commonly seen in older adults.

Lordosis

An exaggerated inward curvature of the lumbar spine, common in markedly obese individuals and pregnant women.

Heberden Nodes

Bony overgrowths of the distal interphalangeal joints, indicative of osteoarthritis.

Bouchard Nodes

Bony overgrowths of the proximal interphalangeal joints, associated with rheumatoid arthritis.

Cushing Triad

A set of signs associated with increased intracranial pressure, including bradycardia, hypertension, and irregular respirations.

Battle Sign

Bruising behind the ears associated with a basilar skull fracture.

Raccoon Eyes

Bruising around the eyes associated with a basilar skull fracture.

Status Epilepticus

A prolonged seizure or series of seizures that occur without the recovery of consciousness.

Status Asthmaticus

A severe, prolonged asthma attack characterized by tachycardia greater than $130\,beats/min$ and pulsus paradoxus greater than $20\,mm\,Hg$.

Duck Walking

A maneuver used in sports physicals to assess hip, knee, and ankle range of motion, strength, and balance.

Brown-Bag Approach

A practice where older adults bring all of their prescription and non-prescription medications to a physical examination for review.

Imperforate Anus

A congenital condition where the anal passageway is closed; failure to pass meconium stool is a key sign in newborns.

Dermatome

An area of the body surface innervated by a particular spinal nerve.

Ataxia

A staggering or uncoordinated gait pattern, often wide-based.

Clonus

Rhythmic, oscillating muscular contraction and relaxation; a score of $4+$ on the reflex scale.

Apgar Score of $1$ for Respiration

A score assigned to an infant demonstrating slow or irregular respiratory effort.

Schamroth Technique

A technique used to assess the nail base angle; a normal finding produces a diamond-shaped window.

Montgomery Tubercles

Sebaceous glands of the areola that undergo hypertrophy and become prominent during pregnancy and lactation.

Janeway Lesions

Nontender erythematic lesions to the palms associated with endocarditis.

Paces

A tool used to screen adolescents for important issues in their lives.

Hits

A screening tool for domestic violence.

Instrumental Activities of Daily Living ($IADL$)

Complex activities including housekeeping, medication compliance, and communication skills.

Basic Activities of Daily Living ($ADL$)

Fundamental self-care tasks including bathing, dressing, toileting, ambulating, and feeding.

Simian Line

A single transverse line/crease in the palm of a child, which may imply Down syndrome.

Dennie-Morgan Fold

An extra crease or pleat of skin below the eye caused by chronic rubbing in persons with atopic or allergic conditions.

Telangiectasia

Vascular lesions consisting of dilated capillaries that refill erratically when blanched.

Petechiae

Small, minute bruises less than $0.5\,cm$ in diameter that do not blanch.

Ecchymoses

Bruises larger than $0.5\,cm$ in diameter.

Macule

A flat, nonpalpable, circumscribed skin lesion smaller than $1\,cm$ in diameter.

Plaque

An elevated, firm, rough lesion with a flat top surface larger than $1\,cm$ in diameter, such as in psoriasis.

Hirsutism

The growth of terminal hair in a male distribution pattern in women, which can signal an endocrine disorder.

Linea Nigra

A line of pigmentation appearing on the abdomen of pregnant patients from the symphysis pubis to the top of the fundus.

Cherry Angiomas

Common vascular skin lesions that occur in almost everyone older than $30$ years and increase numerically with age.