General survey
assess level of consciousness, overall demeanor, and ability to communicate
AVPU
acronym used to assess level of consciousness
A = alert: is the patient awake
V = verbal: does the patient respond to verbal stimuli
P = pain: does the patient respond to painful stimuli
U = unresponsive: is patient completely unresponsive
What's included in the general assessment?
-race, gender, age, appearance, behavior, gait and posture, body movement, body type, hygiene, speech, signs of distress, signs of abuse, substance abuse, psychological status
objective vs. subjective data
objective data = signs, directly observed, elicited through physical assessment, ex: vital signs, vomit, sweat
subjective data = symptoms, experienced by patient, includes pain, ex: nausea, pain
techniques of physical assessment
1. inspection = observing
2. auscultation = listening
3. palpation = touching
4. percussion = tapping
normal order of assessment
1. inspection
2. palpation
3. percussion
4. auscultation
order of abdominal assessment
1. inspection
2. auscultation
3. percussion
4. palpation