Physical Assessment as a Screening Tool Flashcards

1
Q

List several screening procedures

A
  1. Visual inspection
    • skin and nail assessment
  2. Abdominal Screening procedures
  3. Fracture Screening
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2
Q

why is it important to screen the skin and nails for abnormal changes?

A

changes in skin and nails may be the 1st sign of inflammatory, infectious and immunologic disorders

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3
Q

T/F: new onset of skin lesions should be medically evaluated?

A

TRUE

especially in children

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4
Q

what is included in an integumentary visual inspection?

A
  • inspect for:
    1. recent rashes, nodules, or other skin changes
    2. unusual hair loss or breakage
    3. increased hair growth (hirsutism)
    4. nail bed changes
    5. itching (pruritus)
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5
Q

skin should be assessed for what 6 things?

A
  1. texture
  2. color
  3. temp
  4. clubbing
  5. circulation
  6. edema
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6
Q

list changes in skin color to note

A
  1. pallor
  2. jaundice
  3. cyanosis
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7
Q

what can pallor indicate?

A
  1. anemia
  2. arterial insufficiency
  3. fainting
  4. shock
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8
Q

where should you inspect for jaundice? What can it indicate?

A
  1. where
    • sclera
    • conjunctiva
    • lips
    • hard palate
    • tongue
  2. what can it indicate
    • liver condition
    • hematologic disorder
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9
Q

what can central cyanosis indicate?

A
  1. advanced lung disease
  2. CHF
  3. low hemoglobin
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10
Q

what can peripheral cyanosis indicate?

A
  1. CHF
  2. venous obstruction
  3. anxiety
  4. cold environment
    • 1st observed in hands/feet, lips or nose
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11
Q

what is a change in skin temperature indicative of?

A
  • indication of the vascular supply
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12
Q

Other signs of decreased vascularity?

A
  1. paresthesia
  2. muscle fatigue/discomfort
  3. cyanosis with numbness
  4. pain and loss of hair
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13
Q

things to keep in mind when assessing darker skin

A
  1. changes 1st noticed in:
    • fingernails
    • lips
    • mucous membranes
    • conjunctiva of eye and palms/soles in ppl with darker skin tones
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14
Q

List and describe the ABCDEs Critera

A
  1. Asymmetry → uneven edges, lopsided in shape, one-half unlike the other half
  2. Border → irregularity, irregular edges, scalloped or poorly defined edges
  3. Color → black, shades of brown, red, white, occasionally blue
  4. Diameter → larger than a pencil eraser (>6 mm)
  5. Evolving → mole or skin lesion that looks different from the rest or is changing in size, shape or color
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15
Q

follow-up questions if you suspect skin cancer after assessing a pt’s skin

A
  1. how long have you had this?
  2. has it changed in the last 6 weeks to 6 months?
  3. has you doctor seen it?
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16
Q

Name 3 specific rashes/skin lesions

A
  1. Dermatitis
  2. Herpes Zoster (Shingles)
  3. Rheumatologic diseases
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17
Q

describe dermatitis

A

referred to as eczema

skin is red, brown, or gray; sore; itchy and sometimes swollen

18
Q

Types of dermatitis

A
  1. Contact dermatitis → skin reacts to something it has come into contact with
  2. Dyshidrotic dermatitis → affects the skin that gets wet frequently
  3. Atopic dermatitis → often accompanies asthma or hay fever
19
Q

describe Herpes Zoster

A
  1. rash may last 1-14 days
  2. reports burning, shooting pain and tingling or itching
  3. lesion appear unilaterally along the path of a spinal nerve
20
Q

T/F: a skin rash or lesion may be the first S/S of an underlying rheumatologic disease?

A

TRUE

21
Q

list several rheumatologic diseases that have skin lesions associated with them

A
  1. SLE → butterfly on face
  2. Discoid lupus erythematosus
  3. Lyme disease
  4. psoriatic arthritis
  5. reactive arthritis
  6. scleroderma
22
Q

what characteristics of lymp nodes increase the suspicion of cancer?

A
  1. hard
  2. immovable
  3. nontender
23
Q

Inspection of the nail bed

A
  1. should be evaluated for
    • color, shape, thickness, texture, and the presence of lesions
  2. capillary refill should occur in 3 seconds
24
Q

Name 3 nail abnormalities

A
  1. Beau’s lines
  2. Splinter hemorrages
  3. Clubbing
25
Q

what are Beau’s lines?

A
  1. Transverse grooves across the nail beds
    • caused by decreased or interrupted production of the nail by the matrix
    • usually caused by acute illness or systemic insult
  2. other associated conditions
    • poor peripheral circulation
    • eating disorders
    • cirrhosis
    • recent MI
    • other trauma
26
Q

what are splinter hemorrages?

A
  1. red-brown, linear streaks
  2. may be a sign of silent MI or pt may have hx of MI
  3. Systemic conditions assocaited with them:
    • bacterial endocarditis
    • vasculitis
    • renal failure
27
Q

what is clubbing?

A
  1. usually results from chronic O2 deprivation in tissue beds
  2. often observed in pts with:
    • COPD
    • congenital heart defects
    • cor pulmonale
  3. can occur within 10 days in pt with acute systemic condition
    • pulmonary abscess, malignancy or polycythemia
28
Q

when would clubbing require a medical evaluation?

A

rapid development of clubbing over the course of 10-14 days

29
Q

what is a method to determine if there is clubbing at the fingernails?

A

Schamroth’s sign

30
Q

Tests involved in abdominal screening

A
  1. Kidney fist percussion
  2. Liver fist percussion
  3. Spleen fist percussion
  4. Murphy’s sign
  5. McBurney’s Point
  6. Rovsing Sign
  7. Palpation and Auscultation of AAA
31
Q

what is considered an abnormal finding with all the organ percussion tests?

A

tenderness with percussion

32
Q

what is Murphy’s sign for?

A

Acute cholecystitis (gall stones)

33
Q

what is an abnormal finding with Murphy’s sign?

A

pt stops breathing/winces or reports tenderness

34
Q

difference between McBurney’s Point and Rovsing Sign?

A

both for appendicitis

  • Abnormal finding for:
    1. McBurney’s point → tenderness
    2. Rovsign sign → R lower quadrant tenderness with remote rebound testing at L lower quadrant
35
Q

abnormal finding for palpation testing for AAA

A
  1. pulse width of >3 cm
  2. provocation of symptoms including exquisite tenderness or referred pain to back is also abnormal
36
Q

abnormal findings for auscultation of AAA

A
  1. presence of bruit
    • abnormal blowing or swishing sounds
37
Q

T/F: combo of palpation and auscultation tests for AAA improves their clinical value

A

TRUE

but only for thin pts with aneurysms greater than 5 cm

38
Q

when would you perform abdominal palpation and auscultation?

A

In pts:

  1. with a suspicion of abdominal pathology causing LBP
  2. who present with a non-mechanical pattern of LBP unchanging with postures, positions, activities, etc
  3. at high risk for AAA
    • present with S/S of AAA
  4. who are not responding to therapy interventions
39
Q

List several clinical decision rules used for fracture screening

A
  1. Canadian C-spine rules
  2. NEXUS criteria
  3. Pittsburg knee decision rule
  4. Ottawa knee decision rule
  5. Ottawa ankle decision rule
40
Q

use of a tuning fork to detect fractures

A
  1. if you cannot get close with palpation then it is not beneficial to use a tuning fork
  2. sensitivity and specificity is not great
  3. positive findings suggest bony involvement
    • but this is not diagnositc!
41
Q

what types of bones does auscultation work for detecting fractures in?

A

works best for long bones of the body

abnormal finding would be a washed out or diffuse sound

42
Q

tests that can be used for fracture detection

A
  1. Pubic-Patellar percussion test
  2. Fulcrum Test