Health Assessment Exam 1 (Ch.1,3,4,8,9,10,12,18,27,29)
Questions and Answers | Latest Version | 2025/2026 |
Correct & Verified
1. What does the health history provide?: Subjective and objective data
2. What is subjective data? what is an example?: SD is what the
patient tells you Example: headache, chest pain
3. 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
4. In what order are skills performed during a typical assessment?:
1. Inspec- tion
2. Palpation
3. Percussion
4. Auscultation
5. If a patient has abdomen pain, what order do you do the
assessment? Why?: 1. Inspection
2. AUSCULTATION
/www.stuvia.com/user/Wisdoms
, 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.
6. 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
7. 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 pul- sation, rigidity or spasticity, crepitation, presence of lumps or
masses, presence of tenderness or pain
-use fingers unless taking temperature
8. How can you assess factors during the palpation step?: by
using different parts of the hands
9. During palpation, what should fingertips be used to feel?: -best for
fine tactile discrimination of skin texture, swelling, pulsation, and
determining presence of lumps
10. During palpation, what should fingers and thumb be used for?:
-detection of position, shape, and consistency of an organ or mass
/www.stuvia.com/user/Wisdoms
, 11. 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
12. During palpation, what should the base of fingers or the ulnar
surface of hand be used for?: -best for vibration
**-vibrations are felt on the ulnar side of hand
13. During palpation, what type of palpation should you start with
and why? What steps are next?: 1. start with LIGHT palpation to
detect surface characteris- tics and accustom person to being touched
-1 cm
2. then deeper palpations when needed
-intermittent pressure better than one long continuous palpation
-5 to 8 cm or 2-3 in
ALSO: bimanual palpation- requires use of both hands to envelop or
capture certain body parts or organs such as kidneys, uterus or adnexa
for precise delimitation
14. What occurs during percussion, the third step?: -consists of
tapping a per- son's skin with short, sharp strokes to assess underlying
structures
15. What uses does percussion have?: -mapping location and size of
organs
-signaling density of a structure by a characteristic note
-detecting a superficial abnormal mass
1. percussion vibrations penetrate
about 5 cm deep
2. deeper mass would give no change in percussion
-eliciting pain if underlying structure is inflamed
/www.stuvia.com/user/Wisdoms
, -eliciting deep tendon reflex using percussion hammer
16. HOLLOW (AIR-FILLED) ORGANS SOUND DIFFERENT THAN
SOLID OR- GANS:
17. What are the two methods of percussion?: 1. Direct, or
immediate, which is when the striking hand directly contacts body wall
2. Indirect, or mediate, is when you use both hands and the striking hand
contacts stationary hand fixed on person's skin
18. In regards to percussion, what is resonance and where does it
occur?: -
Resonance is low pitch and it occurs over normal lungs
19. In regards to percussion, what is hyperresonant and where does it
occur?-
: Hyperresonant is lower pitch and it occurs over child's lungs
20. In regards to percussion, what is tympany and where does it
occur?: Tym- pany is high pitch and it occurs over air filled organs
(stomach, intestines)
21. In regards to percussion, what is dull and where does it occur?:
Dull is high pitch and it occurs over solid organs (liver, spleen)
/www.stuvia.com/user/Wisdoms
Questions and Answers | Latest Version | 2025/2026 |
Correct & Verified
1. What does the health history provide?: Subjective and objective data
2. What is subjective data? what is an example?: SD is what the
patient tells you Example: headache, chest pain
3. 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
4. In what order are skills performed during a typical assessment?:
1. Inspec- tion
2. Palpation
3. Percussion
4. Auscultation
5. If a patient has abdomen pain, what order do you do the
assessment? Why?: 1. Inspection
2. AUSCULTATION
/www.stuvia.com/user/Wisdoms
, 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.
6. 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
7. 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 pul- sation, rigidity or spasticity, crepitation, presence of lumps or
masses, presence of tenderness or pain
-use fingers unless taking temperature
8. How can you assess factors during the palpation step?: by
using different parts of the hands
9. During palpation, what should fingertips be used to feel?: -best for
fine tactile discrimination of skin texture, swelling, pulsation, and
determining presence of lumps
10. During palpation, what should fingers and thumb be used for?:
-detection of position, shape, and consistency of an organ or mass
/www.stuvia.com/user/Wisdoms
, 11. 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
12. During palpation, what should the base of fingers or the ulnar
surface of hand be used for?: -best for vibration
**-vibrations are felt on the ulnar side of hand
13. During palpation, what type of palpation should you start with
and why? What steps are next?: 1. start with LIGHT palpation to
detect surface characteris- tics and accustom person to being touched
-1 cm
2. then deeper palpations when needed
-intermittent pressure better than one long continuous palpation
-5 to 8 cm or 2-3 in
ALSO: bimanual palpation- requires use of both hands to envelop or
capture certain body parts or organs such as kidneys, uterus or adnexa
for precise delimitation
14. What occurs during percussion, the third step?: -consists of
tapping a per- son's skin with short, sharp strokes to assess underlying
structures
15. What uses does percussion have?: -mapping location and size of
organs
-signaling density of a structure by a characteristic note
-detecting a superficial abnormal mass
1. percussion vibrations penetrate
about 5 cm deep
2. deeper mass would give no change in percussion
-eliciting pain if underlying structure is inflamed
/www.stuvia.com/user/Wisdoms
, -eliciting deep tendon reflex using percussion hammer
16. HOLLOW (AIR-FILLED) ORGANS SOUND DIFFERENT THAN
SOLID OR- GANS:
17. What are the two methods of percussion?: 1. Direct, or
immediate, which is when the striking hand directly contacts body wall
2. Indirect, or mediate, is when you use both hands and the striking hand
contacts stationary hand fixed on person's skin
18. In regards to percussion, what is resonance and where does it
occur?: -
Resonance is low pitch and it occurs over normal lungs
19. In regards to percussion, what is hyperresonant and where does it
occur?-
: Hyperresonant is lower pitch and it occurs over child's lungs
20. In regards to percussion, what is tympany and where does it
occur?: Tym- pany is high pitch and it occurs over air filled organs
(stomach, intestines)
21. In regards to percussion, what is dull and where does it occur?:
Dull is high pitch and it occurs over solid organs (liver, spleen)
/www.stuvia.com/user/Wisdoms
