Health Assessment

Question 1

inspection

Answer 1

Inspection occurs when interacting with a patient, watching for nonverbal expressions of emotional and mental status.

Question 2

auscultation

Answer 2

listening for sounds within the body, usually with a stethoscope or an ultrasound blood-flow detector (Doppler)

Question 3

palpation

Answer 3

Palpation involves using the sense of touch to gather information. Through touch you make judgments about expected and unexpected findings of the skin or underlying tissue, muscle, and bones.

Question 4

percussion

Answer 4

Percussion involves tapping the skin with the fingertips to vibrate underlying tissues and organs. The vibration travels through body tissues, and the character of the resulting sound reflects the density of the underlying tissue. The denser the tissue, the quieter is the sound. By knowing how various densities influence sound, it is possible to locate organs or masses, map their edges, and determine their size.

Question 5

skin turgor

Answer 5

Turgor refers to the elasticity of the skin. Normally the skin loses its elasticity with age, but fluid balance can also affect skin turgor. Edema or dehydration diminishes turgor. To assess skin turgor, grasp a fold of skin on the back of the forearm or sternal area with the fingertips and release

Question 6

capillary refill

Answer 6

traditionally used to determine adequacy of peripheral blood flow to the digits

Question 7

atrophy

Answer 7

Thinning of skin with loss of normal skin furrow, with skin appearing shiny and translucent; varies in size (e.g., arterial insufficiency)

Question 8

jaundice

Answer 8

Yellow discoloration of the skin, mucous membranes, and sclera caused by greater-than-normal amounts of bilirubin in the blood.

Question 9

pallor

Answer 9

Unnatural paleness or absence of color in the skin.

Question 10

cyanosis

Answer 10

Bluish discoloration of the skin and mucous membranes caused by an excess of deoxygenated hemoglobin in the blood or a structural defect in the hemoglobin molecule.

Question 11

clubbing

Answer 11

enlargement of the fingertips and flattening of the angle between the fingernail and the nail bed, a classic sign of long-term oxygen deprivation

Question 12

edema

Answer 12

an accumulation of excess interstitial fluid, usually in the subcutaneous tissues

Question 13

phlebitis

Answer 13

inflammation of a vein

Question 14

purpura

Answer 14

a rash of purple spots on the skin caused by internal bleeding from small blood vessels.
-any of several diseases characterized by a purple rash.

Question 15

Petechiae

Answer 15

a small red or purple spot caused by bleeding into the skin.

Question 16

ecchymosis

Answer 16

a discoloration of the skin resulting from bleeding underneath, typically caused by bruising.