When a person goes to a health-care provider for any type of sickness, or to just have a regular check-up, the health-care provider will begin with the four techniques of a physical assessment. These four methods include inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation. Based on the assessment of these four methods and any other detrimental information that the health-care provider gathers from the patient, he should be able to make a diagnosis and recommendations for any health care needed.
Inspection
According to Nurse Link, being able to differentiate normal findings from abnormal findings during a physical assessment is one of the most vital roles that a health-care practitioner must perform. The first step is the visual inspection of the body; inspecting each part of the body for physical abnormalities such as lesions, or determining if the skin color or tone is abnormal.
Palpation
The next step in the assessment is the palpation; the health-care provider will use his hands to inspect the patient for abnormalities on the body. He will apply light pressure on certain areas of the body and ask if the patient feels any pain or discomfort. According to Nurse Link, by touching the patient in particular areas, the health-care provider can determine presence of fine vibrations known as thrills, whether movement of the body parts are normal and any unusual areas of tenderness and warmth.
Percussion
In the next step of the assessment, the health-care provider taps the body of the patient with either tools or his hands to hear how each area of the body sounds. According to Medline Plus, the purpose of this part of the assessment is to evaluate the borders, consistency, size and whether body organs have an absence or presence of fluid. Lungs should sound hollow because they are full of air, solid sounds should come from the joints, bones and solid organs.
Ausculation
The final part of the assessment involves more listening by the health-care provider. According to Medline Plus, this is usually performed by using a stethoscope. This tool allows the provider to listen to a patient's heart, lungs and intestines. An evaluation of the intensity, duration, frequency and types of sounds will determine the health of the patient. The health-care provider must take notes on what is observed within each step of the assessment.
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