The General Survey

Question 1

When does the general survey begin with a pt?

Answer 1

Begins when you first enter the room

Question 2

what are the 4 components of the General Survey?

Answer 2

1. Physical appearance
2. Mental satus
3. Mobility
4. patient’s behaviour

Question 3

what is the purpose of noting the pt’s physical appearance upon admittance?

Answer 3

to record if there has been a change upon admittance for the best or worse.

Question 4

under which component would skin colour, facial expression and body shape be recorded?

Answer 4

Physical appearance

Question 5

under which component would you record mood, response, level of anxiety, orientation and speech?

Answer 5

Mental status

Question 6

how do you assess for patient’s mobility? when do you start this assessment

Answer 6

observe pt’s
gait: alternative swinging, or need for assisstive devices
posture: straight back
Range of motion: arms + legs at same level

when patient enters the room

Question 7

you notice that the patient is sweating and breathing heavily when they first enter the room. do you consider this abnormal or do you ask more questions?

Answer 7

Ask more questions: base your assessment on context, not only what is presented to you.

Question 8

What data would you group under the Behaviour component?

Answer 8

dress, grooming and eye contact

Question 9

how do position the client to measure their height?

Answer 9

feet flat
back to measure
no shoes

Question 10

if you are measuring a pt’s weight daily, what are some constants that need to be considered?

Answer 10

need to measure weight on the same scale, same time of day, same type of clothing

Question 11

why is body mass index inaccurate?

Answer 11

assumes everyone has the same composition
ex: athlete is same height and weight as average person but athlete is made of more muscle and average person is made of mostly fat.

Question 12

what are the 2 measurements of nutritional status?

Answer 12

body mass index and waist circumference

Question 13

When taking a waist measurement, what is the landmark?

Answer 13

lateral border of ilium, or the iliac crest of the hip bone.

“I’m a little tea cup”

Question 14

name the 5 vital signs

Answer 14

temperature, pulse, respirations, blood pressure and O2 saturation

Question 15

what is the normal range and average of temperature?

Answer 15

norm: 35-38 degrees C
Average: 37-37.2 degrees C

Question 16

What are the factors influencing temperature and why?

Answer 16

age: elderly lose sub cu fat which makes them more susceptible to temp changes

circadian rhythm: hot in evening, cold in morning

Exercise: increase temp from increase in activity

stress: hormones cause increase in temp

menstrual cycle: hormones increase temp

Question 17

What is the pulse range and characteristics?

Answer 17

norm: 60-100 bpm

rhythm, rate, force

Question 18

what are the factors influencing pulse and why?

Answer 18

age: rigidity of arteries decreases pulse
exercise: increases pulse to circulate more O2

Athletes: decreased pulse because of stronger heart . muscles

gender: women have higher heart rate then men

body position: sitting down pools blood and increases pulse because heart must push harder

Question 19

what is the norm, average and characteristics of Respirations?

Answer 19

norm: 12-20
Average: 16
Characteristics: rate, rhythm, depth, effort

Question 20

What are the factors influencing Respirations and why?

Answer 20

age: increases effort because muscles are weaker
exercise: increases respirations for more oxygen
pain: increases respirations
temp: increases respirations to get rid of heat
stress: hormone increases rate
narcotics: decrease rate because they affect CNS region that controls breathing

sleep decreases breathing

Question 21

how does age affect temperature?

Answer 21

age: elderly lose sub cu fat which makes them more susceptible to temp changes

Question 22

how does stress affect temperature?

Answer 22

stress: hormones cause increase in temp

Question 23

how does exercise affect pulse?

Answer 23

exercise: increases pulse to circulate more O2

Question 24

how does body position affect pulse?

Answer 24

body position: sitting down pools blood and increases pulse because heart must push harder

Question 25

how does sleep affect breathing?

Answer 25

sleep decreases breathing

Question 26

how does age affect respirations?

Answer 26

age: increases effort because muscles are weaker

Question 27

What are the factors affecting blood pressure?

Answer 27

age: increases BP, heart has to work harder
Stress: stress hormone increases heart rate
gender: men have higher BP then women
circadian rhythm: in morning BP is low, evening BP is high
Diet: sodium increases BP because it changes the viscosity of the blood.

Question 28

what is the normal range of Blood pressure?

Answer 28

Systolic: 110-130
diastolic: 60-80

Question 29

When assessing orthostatic hypotension, when does the BP become concerning?

Answer 29

when there is a 20mmHg difference between a change in position

Question 30

what is the normal range for O2 saturation? what does it measure

Answer 30

norm: 95-100% on room air or oxygen

it measures the saturation of oxygen on hemoglobin

Question 31

what are the factors that influence O2 saturation?

Answer 31

temperature: if finger is cold, it alters reading
nail polish: interferes with the red light
brightness: bright room interferes with the red light
movement: if pt has tremors, it alters the reading
Carbon monoxide: CO poisoning will read the same as O2 because CO also binds to hemoglobin

Question 32

why does carbon monoxide poisoning affect O2 saturation?

Answer 32

Carbon monoxide: CO poisoning will read the same as O2 because CO also binds to hemoglobin

Question 33

why does movement affect O2 saturation?

Answer 33

movement: if pt has tremors, it alters the reading

Question 34

What are the normal ranges for men and women when taking waist circumference?

Answer 34

Women: 88cm
Men: 102cm