Health Assessment Exam #1 (Ch.
1,3,4,8,9,10,12,18,27,29) Questions and
Answers | Latest Update 2025/2026
What does the health history provide?
~~> Subjective and objective data
What is subjective data? what is an example?
~~> SD is what the patient tells you Example: headache, chest pain
What is objective data? what is an example?
~~> OD are the signs perceived by the examiner through physical
examination during assessment
Example: rash seen by a nurse, or temp taken with a thermometer
In what order are skills performed during a typical assessment?
~~> 1. Inspection
2. Palpation
3. Percussion
4. Auscultation
If a patient has abdomen pain, what order do you do the assessment? Why?
, ~~> 1. Inspection
2. AUSCULTATION
3. Palpation
4. Percussion
Because of pain, don't touch or tap the tender area first. Start by inspecting and
then listening before you feel the area.
What occurs during inspection, the first step?
~~> -ALWAYS COMES FIRST
-begins when you first meet a person w/ a general survey
-you should start assessment of each body system with inspection
-requires: good lighting, adequate exposure, use of instruments including
otoscope, opthalmoscope, penlight, or specula
What occurs during palpation, the second step?
~~> Palpation applies sense of touch to assess Can include:
temperature, texture, moisture, organ location and size, swelling, vibration or
pulsation, rigidity or spasticity, crepitation, presence of lumps or masses,
presence of tenderness or pain
-use fingers unless taking temperature
,How can you assess factors during the palpation step?
~~> by using different parts of the hands
During palpation, what should fingertips be used to feel?
~~> -best for fine tactile discrimination of skin texture, swelling, pulsation,
and determining presence of lumps
During palpation, what should fingers and thumb be used for?
~~> -detection of position, shape, and consistency of an organ or mass
During palpation, what should the dorsa of hands and fingers be used for?
~~> -best for determining temperature because skin here is thinner than on
palms
During fpalpation, fwhat fshould fthe fbase fof ffingers for fthe fulnar fsurface fof fhand
fbe fused ffor?
~~> f-best ffor fvibration
**-vibrations fare ffelt fon fthe fulnar fside fof fhand
During fpalpation, fwhat ftype fof fpalpation fshould fyou fstart fwith fand fwhy? fWhat
fsteps fare fnext?
f
f
, ~~> f1. fstart fwith fLIGHT fpalpation fto fdetect fsurface fcharacteristics fand
faccustom fperson fto fbeing ftouched
-1 fcm
2. then fdeeper fpalpations fwhen fneeded
-intermittent fpressure fbetter fthan fone flong fcontinuous fpalpation
-5 fto f8 fcm for f2-3 fin
ALSO: fbimanual fpalpation- frequires fuse fof fboth fhands fto fenvelop for fcapture
fcertain fbody fparts for forgans fsuch fas fkidneys, futerus for fadnexa ffor fprecise
fdelimitation
What foccurs fduring fpercussion, fthe fthird fstep?
~~> f-consists fof ftapping fa fperson's fskin fwith fshort, fsharp fstrokes fto
fassess funderlying fstructures
What fuses fdoes fpercussion fhave?
~~> f-mapping flocation fand fsize fof forgans
-signaling fdensity fof fa fstructure fby fa fcharacteristic fnote
-detecting fa fsuperficial fabnormal fmass
1. percussion fvibrations fpenetrate fabout f5 fcm fdeep
2. deeper fmass fwould fgive fno fchange fin fpercussion
-eliciting fpain fif funderlying fstructure fis finflamed
f
f
-eliciting fdeep ftendon freflex fusing fpercussion fhammer
HOLLOW f(AIR-FILLED) fORGANS fSOUND fDIFFERENT fTHAN fSOLID
1,3,4,8,9,10,12,18,27,29) Questions and
Answers | Latest Update 2025/2026
What does the health history provide?
~~> Subjective and objective data
What is subjective data? what is an example?
~~> SD is what the patient tells you Example: headache, chest pain
What is objective data? what is an example?
~~> OD are the signs perceived by the examiner through physical
examination during assessment
Example: rash seen by a nurse, or temp taken with a thermometer
In what order are skills performed during a typical assessment?
~~> 1. Inspection
2. Palpation
3. Percussion
4. Auscultation
If a patient has abdomen pain, what order do you do the assessment? Why?
, ~~> 1. Inspection
2. AUSCULTATION
3. Palpation
4. Percussion
Because of pain, don't touch or tap the tender area first. Start by inspecting and
then listening before you feel the area.
What occurs during inspection, the first step?
~~> -ALWAYS COMES FIRST
-begins when you first meet a person w/ a general survey
-you should start assessment of each body system with inspection
-requires: good lighting, adequate exposure, use of instruments including
otoscope, opthalmoscope, penlight, or specula
What occurs during palpation, the second step?
~~> Palpation applies sense of touch to assess Can include:
temperature, texture, moisture, organ location and size, swelling, vibration or
pulsation, rigidity or spasticity, crepitation, presence of lumps or masses,
presence of tenderness or pain
-use fingers unless taking temperature
,How can you assess factors during the palpation step?
~~> by using different parts of the hands
During palpation, what should fingertips be used to feel?
~~> -best for fine tactile discrimination of skin texture, swelling, pulsation,
and determining presence of lumps
During palpation, what should fingers and thumb be used for?
~~> -detection of position, shape, and consistency of an organ or mass
During palpation, what should the dorsa of hands and fingers be used for?
~~> -best for determining temperature because skin here is thinner than on
palms
During fpalpation, fwhat fshould fthe fbase fof ffingers for fthe fulnar fsurface fof fhand
fbe fused ffor?
~~> f-best ffor fvibration
**-vibrations fare ffelt fon fthe fulnar fside fof fhand
During fpalpation, fwhat ftype fof fpalpation fshould fyou fstart fwith fand fwhy? fWhat
fsteps fare fnext?
f
f
, ~~> f1. fstart fwith fLIGHT fpalpation fto fdetect fsurface fcharacteristics fand
faccustom fperson fto fbeing ftouched
-1 fcm
2. then fdeeper fpalpations fwhen fneeded
-intermittent fpressure fbetter fthan fone flong fcontinuous fpalpation
-5 fto f8 fcm for f2-3 fin
ALSO: fbimanual fpalpation- frequires fuse fof fboth fhands fto fenvelop for fcapture
fcertain fbody fparts for forgans fsuch fas fkidneys, futerus for fadnexa ffor fprecise
fdelimitation
What foccurs fduring fpercussion, fthe fthird fstep?
~~> f-consists fof ftapping fa fperson's fskin fwith fshort, fsharp fstrokes fto
fassess funderlying fstructures
What fuses fdoes fpercussion fhave?
~~> f-mapping flocation fand fsize fof forgans
-signaling fdensity fof fa fstructure fby fa fcharacteristic fnote
-detecting fa fsuperficial fabnormal fmass
1. percussion fvibrations fpenetrate fabout f5 fcm fdeep
2. deeper fmass fwould fgive fno fchange fin fpercussion
-eliciting fpain fif funderlying fstructure fis finflamed
f
f
-eliciting fdeep ftendon freflex fusing fpercussion fhammer
HOLLOW f(AIR-FILLED) fORGANS fSOUND fDIFFERENT fTHAN fSOLID
