Palpation Techniques in Physical Examination
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Questions and Answers

What type of palpation is used to feel for pulses, tenderness, surface skin texture, temperature, and moisture?

  • Moderate palpation
  • Bimanual palpation
  • Deep palpation
  • Light palpation (correct)

    • What type of palpation is used to easily palpate body organs and masses, and note their size, consistency, and mobility?

  • Moderate palpation (correct)
  • Deep palpation
  • Light palpation
  • Bimanual palpation

    • Which type of palpation involves placing the dominant hand over the non-dominant hand to apply pressure and depress the skin 2.5 to 5 cm?

  • Bimanual palpation
  • Moderate palpation
  • Light palpation
  • Deep palpation (correct)

    • What is the purpose of bimanual palpation?

    <p>To use both hands to palpate a body part</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of percussion?

    <p>To tap two body parts to produce a sound</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of eliciting pain during palpation?

    <p>To detect inflamed structures</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Deep palpation involves depressing the skin no more than 1 meter with the dominant hand.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Bimanual palpation involves using one hand to apply pressure to feel very deep organs and structures.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Direct percussion involves tapping a body part with one or two fingers to elicit possible tenderness.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Blunt percussion is used to detect superficial masses within 2 cm deep.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Light palpation should result in a depression of 2-3 cm to feel for pulses and temperature.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Moderate palpation involves depressing the skin 2-3 cm with the non-dominant hand.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Using the bell during auscultation produces high pitched sounds such as murmurs and bruits.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Hyperresonance is a lung sound that is very loud, high pitched, and short.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Dullness is a lung sound that is soft, high pitched, and drum-like.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The purpose of validation is to create discrepancies or gaps between subjective and objective data.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    One method of validation includes comparing objective findings with subjective findings to uncover discrepancies.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Flatness is a lung sound that is soft, high-pitched, and detected in muscle and bones.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Palpation

    • Fingerpads are used for fine discrimination, feeling pulses, texture, size, consistency, and shape of an organ or structure.
    • Ulnar or palmar surface is used to detect vibration, thrills, and fremitus.
    • Dorsal surface is used to detect temperature.

    Types of Palpation

    • Light Palpation: no more than 1 meter of depression, used to feel for pulses, tenderness, surface skin texture, temperature, and moisture.
    • Moderate Palpation: depress the skin 2-3 cm, used to palpate body organs and masses, noting size, consistency, and mobility.
    • Deep Palpation: placing dominant hand over the non-dominant hand, resulting in a depression of 2.5 to 5 cm, used to feel very deep organs and structures.
    • Bimanual Palpation: using two hands, placing each side of the body part.

    Percussion

    • Tapping two body parts to produce a sound, used to:
      • Elicit pain and detect inflamed structures
      • Determine location, shape, and size of an organ, noting changes between its border and neighboring organ
      • Determine density (air or fluid) and detect abnormal masses within 5 cm deep
      • Elicit reflexes, specifically deep tendon reflexes

    Types of Percussion

    • Direct Percussion: direct tapping of a body part with one or two fingers to elicit possible tenderness
    • Blunt Percussion: used to detect tenderness over organs

    Auscultation

    • Uses a stethoscope to listen for heart sounds and movement of blood through the cardiovascular system
    • Bell: low-pitched sounds, such as murmurs and bruits
    • Diaphragm: breathe, bowel, and normal heart sounds
    • Resonance: heard over parts with air and solid structures
      • Intensity (loud), pitch (low), length (long) in normal lungs
      • Hyperresonance: very loud, low-pitched, and long in lungs with emphysema
      • Tympany: loud, high-pitched, and moderate, like a drum
      • Dullness: medium intensity, moderate pitch, detected in diaphragm and pleural effusion, liver
      • Flatness: soft, high-pitched, detected in muscle and bone

    Validation

    • Process of confirming and verifying subjective and objective data for reliability and accuracy
    • Methods of validation:
      • Rechecking own data through repeat assessments
      • Clarifying data by asking additional questions
      • Verifying data with another healthcare professional
      • Comparing objective findings with subjective findings to uncover discrepancies
      • Identifying areas with missing data

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    Description

    Learn about different palpation techniques used in physical examination, including fingerpads, ulnar/palmar, and dorsal surface palpation. Understand the purposes and methods of light, moderate, and deep palpation for assessing various aspects such as pulses, texture, temperature, and tenderness.

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