Assessment Techniques

physical examination

process to obtain objective data from the patient

standard precautions

based on the principle that all blood, body fluids, secretions, excretions, nonintact skin, and mucous membranes may contain transmissible infectious agents

CDC key recommendations for hand hygiene

• Before touching a patient, even if gloves

will be worn

• Before exiting the patient’s care area after

touching the patient or patient’s

immediate environment

• After contact with blood, body fluids or

excretions, or wound dressings

• Prior to performing an aseptic task

• If hands will be moving from a

contaminated body site to a clean body

site during patient care

• After glove removal

steps of assessment (4)

inspection, palpation, percussion, auscultation

inspection

focus, good lighting, instruments

palpation

fingertips, grasping, dorsal aspects of hand, ball of hand, ulnar aspect

percussion

mapping location/ size of organs, density of structure, assessing for masses, eliciting pain for inflammation, deep tendon reflexes

auscultation

listening, using stethoscope (bell- low pitch & diaphragm- high patch)