Module 7: Integration Flashcards
What is a complete health assessment done?
Performed as patient’s first entry in an outpatient setting or initial admission to the hospital.
What is included in the health history?
- Biographical data
- Family history
- Reason for seeking care
- Review of systems
- Present health/ hx of illness
- Functional assessment or ADLS
- Past history
- Note general appearance
What should you include while doing the health history?
note data on the person’s general appearance
What is included in the general survey?
- Appears stated age
- Mobility/gait/assistive devices/ROM
- Level of consciousness
- Facial expression
- Skin colour
- Mood and affect
- Nutritional status
- Speech: pattern, content appropriate
- Posture and position
- Hearing
- Obvious physical deformities
- Personal hygiene
What is included in measurement?
- Weight
- Height
- Body mass index.
- Vision (with Snellen eye chart)
- Skinfold measurements (if they are necessary)
- Waist and hip measurements (not indicated for patients younger than 18 yrs or for pregnant or lactating women)
What is included in skin?
- Examine both hands and inspect the nails
2. For the rest of the examination, examine skin with corresponding regional examination.
What is included in vital signs?
- Radial pulse
- Respirations
- Blood pressure in arms
- Blood pressure in lower leg; compute ankle/brachial index (if this is necessary)
- Temperature (if this is necessary)
- Oxygen saturation (if this is necessary)
- Patient’ s rating of pain level on a scale of 0 to 10; note location of pain
What is included in head and face?
- Inspect and palpate scalp, hair and cranium.
- Palpate the temporal artery, then the temporomandibular joint w mouth open/closed
- Inspect face: Expression, symmetry.
- Palpate the maxillary sinuses and the frontal sinuses; if tender, transilluminate
What is included in eye?
- Test visual fields by confrontation (CN II).
- Test extraocular muscles; corneal light reflex, six cardinal positions of gaze (CN III, IV, VI).
- Inspect external eye structures.
- Inspect conjunctivae, sclerae, corneas, irides.
- Test PERRLA
What is included in ear?
- Inspect the external ear: Position and alignment, skin condition, and auditory meatus.
- Move auricle and push tragus for tenderness.
- With an otoscope, inspect the canal, then the tympanic membrane for colour, position, landmarks, and integrity.
- Test hearing: Voice test; tuning fork tests.
What is included in nose?
- Inspect the exterior of nose: Symmetry, lesions.
- Inspect facial symmetry (CN VII).
- Test the patency of each nostril by occluding the opposite nostril.
- With a speculum, inspect the nares: Nasal mucosa, septum, and turbinates.
What is included in mouth and throat?
- With a penlight, inspect the mouth: Buccal mucosa, teeth and gums, tongue, floor of mouth, palate, and uvula.
- Grade tonsils, if present.
- Note mobility.
- Ask the person to stick out the tongue (CN XII).
- With a gloved hand, bimanually palpate the mouth, if indicated.
What is included in neck?
- Inspect the neck: Symmetry, lumps, and pulsations.
- Palpate the cervical lymph nodes.
- Inspect and palpate the carotid pulse, one side at a time. If indicated, listen for carotid bruits.
- Palpate the trachea in midline.
- Test ROM and muscle strength against your resistance: Head forward and back, head turned to each side, and shoulder shrug (CN XI).
Step behind the person, taking your stethoscope, ruler, and marking pen with you. - Palpate thyroid gland posteriorly.
What is the appropriate way to examine the neck and thorax?
Open the person’s gown to expose all of the back for examination of the thorax, but leave the gown on the shoulders and anterior chest.
What is included in the chest (posterior and lateral)?
- Inspect the posterior chest: Configuration of the thoracic cage, skin characteristics, and symmetry of shoulders and muscles.
- Palpate: Symmetrical expansion; tactile fremitus; lumps or tenderness
- Palpate length of spinous processes.
- Percuss over all lung fields (APETM), percuss diaphragmatic excursion.
- Percuss costoverbal angle, noting tenderness.
- Auscultate breath sounds; note any adventitious sounds.
What is the appropriate way to examine the chest?
Move around to face the patient, the patient remains sitting. For a female breast examination, ask permission to lift gown to drape on the shoulders, exposing anterior chest; for a male, lower the gown to a lap.
What is included in the anterior chest?
- Inspect: Respirations and skin conditions.
- Palpate: Tactile fremitus, lumps, or tenderness.
- Percuss anterior lung fields.
- Auscultate breath sounds.
How do you assess the heart?
- Ask the person to lean forward and exhale briefly; auscultate cardiac base for any murmurs.
What is included in assessment of the upper extremeties?
- Test ROM and muscle strength of hands, arms, and shoulders.
- Palpate the epitrochlear lymph nodes (inside of elbows).
What is included in assessment of the female breast?
- Inspect for symmetry, mobility, and dimpling as the woman lifts arms over the head, pushes the hands on the hips, and leans forward.
- Inspect supraclavicular and infraclavicular areas.
- Palpate each breast lifting the same-side arm up over head. Include the tail of Spence and areola.
- Palpate each nipple for discharge.
- Support the person’s arm and palpate axilla and regional lymph nodes.
- Teach breast self-examination, if patient requests to learn it.
How do you help the woman to prepare for assessment of the breast?
Help the woman to lie supine with head at a flat to 30-degree angle. Stand at the person’s right side. Drape the gown up across shoulders and place an extra sheet across lower abdomen