In my practice, a full body assessment is a critical component with admission. When a new resident arrives,
we are required to complete a full body assessment to provide baseline information. Many assessment techniques are used to complete a precise physical assessment.
While assessing the head, it is important to palpate the skull and to note any nodules, masses, protrusions, or depressions. Inspecting the face is also essential to note any facial expressions that may warrant pain. The neck is a passage of many structures that are lying in close proximity, which include, blood vessels, muscles, nerves, and lymph nodes. Inspection and palpation both play vital roles in assessing the neck. I like to ask the resident to perform range of motion. Limited movement can suggest arthritis or inflammation of neck muscles. Also, this gives you the opportunity to note if any enlargements of the lymph nodes and thyroid gland are present. Thirdly, the assessment technique I use to assess the eyes is mostly inspection. Inspecting the conjunctiva of the eyes to note any color change, swelling or lesions. Color change can indicate anemia. Lastly, I inspect the oral mucosa for any mouth lesions, missing teeth, and color changes. Any abnormalities in the oral mucosa can reveal dehydration, or poor oral hygiene. Observing any anomalies, validates the need to take further action to treat the resident.
There are many techniques that I have read and used on Tina Jones that I do not incorporate into my practice. One technique that I can integrate into my assessment practice is to palpate the sinus areas. This is important to discover allergies and acute infection. This will benefit my patients by discovering a sinus infection, which can alleviate the discomfort of pressure and clogginess of ears.