Physical Assessment Technqiues

Summary

This video covers the four key physical assessment techniques: inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation. The speaker explains how these methods apply across different types of assessments, such as cardiac, abdominal, and musculoskeletal evaluations. The video highlights the importance of understanding when and how to apply these techniques in specific orders, particularly for focused assessments like GI or cardiac. Tips for performing each technique, such as using the back of the hand for temperature checks or auscultating before palpating in GI assessments, are shared to ensure accurate assessments. The speaker emphasizes the importance of knowing these methods for comprehensive patient evaluation.

Takeaways

• 😀 Physical assessments can include cardiac, abdominal, muscular-skeletal, or genitourinary assessments.
• 😀 There is no specific order for the four physical assessment techniques unless you are conducting a focused assessment.
• 😀 A simple mnemonic to remember the order of physical assessment techniques is 'epi'.
• 😀 Inspection is typically the first step in a physical assessment, where you visually evaluate aspects like color, size, shape, and positioning.
• 😀 Gait, which refers to the way a person walks, is part of the inspection process.
• 😀 Palpation involves using touch to assess areas of the body, either with light or deep pressure.
• 😀 Palpation is sometimes confused with palpitation, but palpation refers to assessment, while palpitation refers to heartbeats.
• 😀 When using palpation to check temperature, always use the back of your hand for accuracy.
• 😀 Percussion involves tapping the body to assess the shape, size, and borders of organs, and to differentiate between solid and filled organs.
• 😀 Auscultation is the process of listening to bodily sounds like heartbeats, lung sounds, and bowel sounds to assess their pitch, loudness, quality, and duration.
• 😀 In GI assessments, the order is inspect, auscultate, palpate, and percuss to avoid altering bowel sounds with palpation or percussion.

Q & A

What are the four main physical assessment techniques?

The four main physical assessment techniques are inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation.

Is there a specific order for using the four physical assessment techniques?

Generally, there is no specific order unless performing a focused assessment. In a focused assessment, each system has a specific order, such as for the GI or cardiac systems.

How can you remember the four assessment techniques easily?

A mnemonic to remember the four techniques is 'EPI,' which stands for Inspection, Palpation, Percussion, and Auscultation.

What does 'inspection' refer to in a physical assessment?

Inspection refers to looking at a person or area to assess color, size, shape, positioning, and even gait (how a person walks) to identify abnormalities.

What is the difference between 'palpation' and 'palpitation'?

Palpation is the assessment technique where you use your hands to feel areas of the body for abnormalities. Palpitation, on the other hand, refers to an abnormal heart sensation or rapid heartbeat.

What types of pressure are used during palpation, and why are they important?

Palpation involves using light or deep pressure. Light pressure is used to feel for surface abnormalities, while deep pressure allows the assessment of deeper structures.

Why is the back of the hand used to assess temperature during palpation?

The back of the hand is used because it is more sensitive to temperature differences than the palm, making it better suited for assessing temperature, such as on a person's forehead.

What is the purpose of percussion in a physical assessment?

Percussion involves tapping the body to assess the condition of organs, helping determine if they are solid or filled with fluid, and mapping out the shape and borders of organs.

What are the key things to listen for during auscultation?

During auscultation, key things to listen for include pitch, loudness, quality, and duration of sounds, which help assess the condition of the heart, lungs, and bowels.

Why is it important to auscultate before palpating or percussing during a GI assessment?

Auscultation is performed second in a GI assessment to avoid altering bowel sounds, which could happen if you palpate or percuss first.