Goals of Assessment Technique - Answers To provide essential data to safely care for patients,
identify normal and abnormal variants, and provide objective assessment data.
Four Assessment Techniques - Answers Inspection, Palpation, Percussion, Auscultation.
Standard Precautions - Answers Includes Hand Hygiene and Personal Protective Equipment
(PPE).
Transmission-based Precautions - Answers Includes Contact Precautions, Droplet Precautions,
and Airborne Precautions.
HAIs - Answers Healthcare-associated infections are major causes of morbidity and mortality in
the United States.
Latex Allergy Symptoms - Answers Symptoms may include hives, rash, swelling, and severe
anaphylaxis.
Patients' Rights - Answers Patients have the right to be completely informed about the
assessment and what to expect, and all findings must be confidential.
Organizing the Assessment - Answers Essential health assessment works best using a
systematic approach, working from noninvasive to invasive assessments, with minimal
positional changes.
Equipment for Assessment - Answers Includes Personal Protective Equipment (PPE),
Stethoscope, and Tangential lighting.
Purpose of Inspection - Answers To look and examine the physical aspects of the body, posture,
appearance, and behavior.
Types of Inspection - Answers Direct and Indirect.
Purpose of Palpation - Answers To assess and feel for surface characteristics.
Types of Palpation - Answers Light and Deep.
Parts of the Hand for Palpation - Answers Finger pads, Dorsal surface of the hand, Ulnar surface.
Light Palpation Technique - Answers Using finger pads, gently press down about 1 cm or ½ inch
to assess texture, masses, moisture, pulsations, temperature, and tenderness.
Deep Palpation Purpose - Answers To assess for the location and size of internal organs,
masses, and tenderness.
Deep Palpation Technique - Answers Gently press down 5 cm (about 2 inches or more) to
assess organ size, position, masses, and tenderness.