Introduction to Patient Assessment and Documentation
Introduction to Patient Assessment and Documentation ( 6 Questions)
A nurse is performing a physical assessment on a client who has abdominal pain.
Which of the following techniques should the nurse use to assess the abdomen?
This order may alter bowel sounds by palpating and percussing before auscultating them.
The correct order of techniques for abdominal assessment is inspection, auscultation, percussion, and palpation. This order prevents altering bowel sounds by manipulating the abdomen before listening to them.
This order may miss visual cues by inspecting after auscultating.
This order may alter bowel sounds and miss visual cues by palpating before auscultating and inspecting.
Inspection, auscultation, percussion, palpation
Rationale: The correct order of techniques for abdominal assessment is inspection, auscultation, percussion, and palpation. This order prevents altering bowel sounds by manipulating the abdomen before listening to them.
Incorrect options:
A) Inspection, palpation, percussion, auscultation - This order may alter bowel sounds by palpating and percussing before auscultating them.
C) Auscultation, inspection, palpation, percussion - This order may miss visual cues by inspecting after auscultating.
D) Palpation, auscultation, inspection, percussion - This order may alter bowel sounds and miss visual cues by palpating before auscultating and inspecting.