General Physical Exam

Question 1

Introduction

Answer 1

A. INTRODUCTION:
• Greet the examiner.
• Greet the patient.
• Introduce yourself and establish rapport.
• Confirm patient’s identity.
• Briefly explain what the examination is about.
• Obtain consent.
• Ask for a chaperone.

Question 2

Say this to your examiner

Answer 2

I would like to:
• screen my patient for privacy.
• adequately expose my patient (e.g. from nipple line to mid-thigh).
• place my patient in an anatomical position (e.g. with the body su-
pine, the arms at the sides and the palms facing upwards).
• sanitize or wash my hands with running water and soap.

Question 3

Inspection of the patient

Answer 3

Inspect from the side to the foot of the bed or from head to toe. Points to note:
• Is the patient calm or restless?
• Is the patient obese or wasted?
• Are there scars, lumps, rashes, ulcers, dilated veins, etc.
• Are there oxygen mask, nebulizers, Intravenous cannula, catheters,
etc.? Points to note:
• Is the patient calm or restless?
• Is the patient obese or wasted?
• Are there scars, lumps, rashes, ulcers, dilated veins, etc.
• Are there oxygen mask, nebulizers, Intravenous cannula, catheters,
etc.

Question 4

What should we palpate on the head

Answer 4

Hair: touch and check for texture

Question 5

Face: what should we check

Answer 5

Face: with the dorsum of your hands on the cheeks, feel for warmth.

Question 6

Eyes what should check in the eyes

Answer 6

: with your thumbs, depress the lower eyelids to check for con-
junctival pallor; assess for sclera jaundice

Question 7

For the mouth what should be look for

Answer 7

check for pallor, cyanosis, dehydration and ulcers using
the following commands: “Please open your mouth, stick out your
tongue and raise it up.”

Question 8

Next step on lymph nodes

Answer 8

gue and raise it up.”
• Lymph nodes: submental, submandibular, pre-auricular, post-auric-
ular, cervical, supraclavicular, infraclavicular, axillary, epitrochlear,
inguinal, popliteal.

Question 9

What should we check on the hands

Answer 9

Hands: check for pallor, finger clubbing, capillary refill, warmth,
palmar erythema.

Question 10

What should we check on the leg

Answer 10

Leg: palpate for pedal edema

Question 11

Finally how do we end the exam

Answer 11

Thank the patient and the examiner.