Chapter 3 - Techniques & Equipment For Physical Assessment

Question 1

standard precautions

Answer 1

Measures to reduce the risk of transmitting infection from body fluids and non-intact skin

*hand hygiene is the #1 method!!

Question 2

transmission based precautions

Answer 2

guidelines designed for the control of infections among patients with known or suspected infections caused by certain pathogens of epidemiological significance

Question 3

types of personal protective equipment

Answer 3

gloves: worn to reduce potential of infection transmission
masks/eye protection: worn when procedures may result in splashes of patients body fluid
gowns: protect exposed skin

Question 4

inspection

Answer 4

visual exam of the body

may need some equipment: penlight, otoscope

Question 5

palpation

Answer 5

using hands to feel texture, size, shape, consistence, and identify tender areas

always state purpose and when you will touch the patient

use palmar surface of fingers

always palpate bimanually: see if both sides are the same

light: checking skin, 1cm deep
deep: check organ placement, 4cm deep

Question 6

percussion overview (purpose)

Answer 6

evaluate size, borders, and consistency of internal organs
detect tenderness
allows you to see if there is air or fluid in body cavity

Question 7

direct percussion

Answer 7

strike finger or hand directly against patients body

most common: striking costovertebral angle over kidney to see if there is tenderness

Question 8

indirect percussion

Answer 8

requires both finders, place palm on body and strike middle finger with two fingers from your other hand

Question 9

tympany

Answer 9

loud, high- pitched sound heard over abdomen

Question 10

resonance

Answer 10

heard over normal lung tissue

Question 11

hyper-resonance

Answer 11

heard in overinflated lungs

Question 12

dullnes

Answer 12

heard over liver

Question 13

flatness

Answer 13

heard over bones and muscle

Question 14

auscultation

Answer 14

listening to sounds with the body

instruments needed: stethoscope (placed directly on the skin)

Question 15

intensity

Answer 15

loudness of sound

Question 16

pitch

Answer 16

frequency or number of sound waves generated per second

Question 17

duration of sound vibrations

Answer 17

short, medium, or long

Question 18

quality

Answer 18

description of sound (short, medium, or long)

Question 19

supine position

Answer 19

patient laying flat on back

purpose: most normally relaxed position, easy to find pulses

Question 20

prone postion

Answer 20

patient laying face forward, flat on their belly

purpose: assess extension of hip joint

Question 21

lateral recumben

Answer 21

patient laying on their side

purpose: to detect murmurs

Question 22

fowlers

Answer 22

patient sitting upright and learning back slightly

Question 23

trendelenberg

Answer 23

laying flat on their back with their head angled toward the ground
purpose: help someone who is feeling faint or if someone is bleeding out

Question 24

dorsal recumbent

Answer 24

patient laying on back with knees up in the air

purpose: used for abdominal assessment

Question 25

lithotomy

Answer 25

patient on back with feet up in stirrups

purpose: to inspect genitalia

Question 26

thermometer types

Answer 26

oral
axillary
rectal temperatures

Question 27

stethoscope

Answer 27

function: blocks out excessive noise
diaphragm: used to hear hight pitched sounds i.e. breath, bowel, normal heart sounds
bell: used to hear soft sounds i.e. vascular sounds

Question 28

sphygmomanometer

Answer 28

assists in blood pressure measurement

Question 29

pulse oximeter

Answer 29

measures oxygen saturation in arterial blood

Question 30

visual acuity charts

Answer 30

snellen chart: hung at a distance of 20 feet, patient tested one eye at at time beginning with the smallest line

e chart: used for small children or non-english speakers

rosenbaum: is held 14 inches away from face

Question 31

opthalmoscope

Answer 31

used to inspect internal structors of the eye

Question 32

otoscope

Answer 32

used to inspect external auditory canal and tympanic membrane

Question 33

tuning fork

Answer 33

used for auditory screening and assessment of vibrating sensation

Question 34

percussion hammer

Answer 34

test deep tendon reflexes

Question 35

doppler

Answer 35

amplifies sounds that are difficult to hear with stethoscope

Question 36

goniometer

Answer 36

protractor type measuring used to determine degree of flexion or extension of joint

Question 37

audioscope

Answer 37

basic screening for hearing acuity

Question 38

monofilament

Answer 38

used to test for sensation on lower extremities

Question 39

transilluminator

Answer 39

used to differentiate the characteristics of tissues, fluid, and air within a specific body cavity

Question 40

woods lamp

Answer 40

black light effect that detects fungal infections of the skin or corneal abrasions of eye