General Survey Flashcards
What is a general survey?
Study of the whole person covering general health state and any obvious physical characteristics
List the characteristics assessed in a general survey.
- Physical appearance
- Body structure
- Mobility/gait
- Behavior
What types of data are included in health history?
- Subjective data
- Objective data
What are the technical skills required for physical examination?
- Inspection
- Palpation
- Percussion
- Auscultation
- Olfaction
What is the first step in physical examination?
Inspection
What is required for effective inspection?
- Good lighting
- Adequate exposure
- Occasional use of instruments
What does palpation assess?
- Texture
- Temperature
- Moisture
- Organ location and size
- Swelling
- Vibration or pulsation
- Rigidity or spasticity
- Crepitation
- Presence of lumps or masses
- Presence of tenderness or pain
What is percussion used for?
- Maps location and size of organs
- Signals density of a structure
- Detects superficial abnormal mass
- Elicits pain if underlying structure is inflamed
- Elicits deep tendon reflex
What is auscultation?
Listening to sounds either unassisted or with a stethoscope
True or False: Hand hygiene is the single most important step to decrease microorganism transmission.
True
When should hand hygiene be performed?
- Before and after physical contact with each patient
- After contact with blood, body fluids, secretions, excretions
- After any contact with equipment contaminated with body fluids
- After removing gloves
Fill in the blank: The goal of reducing anxiety during patient care is to become _______.
[confident, self-assured, considerate, and unhurried]
What are anticipated changes in the aging adult?
- Physical appearance
- Posture
- Gait
- Weight
- Height
- Vital Signs
What is Spector’s Heritage Assessment?
A cultural assessment tool used for providing holistic care
What should a nurse do if there is not sufficient time to gather all cultural assessment information?
Prioritize essential questions and gather information as time permits
What is a recommended practice tool for students in Health Assessment?
ATI Health Assess module
What is the importance of practicing with the ATI Health Assess Virtual Application?
To enhance skills in conducting health assessments
