Question

Describe the four techniques (inspection, palpation, percussion and auscultation) used when performing a physical assessment. For each of the four techniques, choose two SEPARATE BODY SYSTEMS to describe the specific technique and expected " normal" findings.

Answer 1

Inspection

Inspection, as the name suggest to inspect someone visually. Observation and inspection is the fundamental physical examination. It begins with as the first point of contact to the patient.

Palpation

It is done when the person doing the assessment places their fingers on the body to determine any type of swelling, masses and area of pain. Palpation are also divided into deep, light, light ballottement and deep ballottement.

The health care provider touches and feels your body to examine the size, consistency, texture location, tenderness of an organ or any body parts.

Percussion

It is an assessment technique which produces sound by the examiner tapping on the patients chest walls. Since lungs are filled with air that we breathe. Percussion that perform on the area of lungs produces a resonant sound.

It is a method of tapping on the surface help to determine the underlying structure. It is used as the clinical examination of throat and abdomen

Auscultation.

It is defined as the process of listening usually with stethoscope to sound produced by the gas, liquid for aid to diagnosis.

Methods of performing auscultation

1. It is done in a quiet room generally in the sitting.

2. Always warm up the close stethoscope by rubbing chest piece on your hand before placing it.

3. Ask patient to take breath with open mouth

Assessment of cardiovascular system

Inspection- checking pulse

Auscultation- listening the systolic sound of heart.

Assessment of lungs

Auscultation- assessment of sound produced when we breathe the air.

Percussion- For assessing the normal and abnormal sound.