Chapter 8: Assessment Techniques and Safety Flashcards
What are the physical assessment techniques? (IPPA)
Inspection
Palpation
Percussion
Auscultation
Least invasive –> most invasive
Inspection
General survey = what you can glean from the moment you walk into the patient room; nurse’s objective observation of the patient
What is palpation?
This is feeling the body with your hands
What does palpating assess?
Texture, temperature, moisture of the skin
Organ location and size
Swelling, vibration, pulsation or crepitation (crackling)
Presence of lumps or masses
Presence of tenderness or pain (always palpate tender areas last)
What is percussion?
Tapping a person’s skin with short, sharp strokes to assess underlying structures
What does percussing assess?
Mapping location and size of organs
Density of structures
Pain, tenderness
Reflexes
What is amplitude?
The intensity of the sound
What is pitch?
The frequency of the sound
What is quality (sound)?
The timbre of the sound
What is duration (sound)?
How long the sound lasts
What are the basic principles of percussive sound production?
Structures with more air produce louder, deeper sound compared with denser structures
What is auscultation?
This is listening to sounds produced by the body
What do we use the diaphragm of the stethoscope for?
High pitched sounds = bowels, lungs, general heart
What do we use the bell of the stethoscope for?
Soft pitched sounds = heart murmurs
When/how often do we wash our hands?
Before and after touching a patient; if there’s any visible anything on your hands; entering the room/exiting the room
