Nurs. 209 Lab

Health assessment

Activities of Daily Living

daily self-care activities within a person’s place of residence and/or in outdoor environments

adventitious breath sounds

sounds that are not normally heard in the lung’s auscultation

ascites

accumulation of serous fluid in the peritoneal cavity

auscultation

acts of listening with a stethoscope to sounds produced within the body

body mass index (BMI)

a ratio of weight (in kilograms) to height (in meters), used as an indicator of total body fat stores in general population, and to estimate relative risk for diseases such as cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes

bruit

a sound caused by turbulent blood flow

cyanosis

bluish or grayish skin discoloration in response to inadequate oxygenation

ecchymosis

a collection of blood in the subcutaneous tissues, causing purplish discoloration

edema

excess fluid in the tissue, characterized by swelling

erythema

redness or inflammation of the skin as a result of dilation and congestion of capillaries

general survey

Overall impression of a patient. including observing the patient’s overall appearance and behavior; taking vitals; measuring height, weight, and waist circumference; head circumference in infants and children; and calculating the body mass index (BMI)

health assessment

involves gathering information about the health status of the patients; the overall level of physical, psychological, sociocultural, developmental, functional, and spiritual health of a patient

health history

a collection of subjective data that provides information about the patients’ health status

inspection

process of performing purposeful observations in a systematic manner

Instrumental activities of daily living

daily self-care activities needed for independent living; for example, housekeeping, meal preparation, management of finances, and transportation

jaundice

yellow color of the skin, whites of the eyes, mucous membranes, and body fluids resulting from liver and gallbladder diseases, some types of anemia, and hemolysis; caused by deposition of bile pigment resulting from excess bilirubin in the blood

pallor

paleness of the skin

palpation

an assessment technique that uses the sense of touch

percussion

the act of striking one object against another to produce sound

physical assessment

a collection of objective data that provides information about changes in the patients body system

precordium

the area on the anterior chest over the heart and lower thorax, encompassing the aorta, pulmonic, tricuspid, and mitral (apical) areas, and Erb’s point

turgor

fullness or elasticity of the skin