What is the assessment of the abdomen?
With abdominal assessment, you inspect first, then auscultate, percuss, and palpate. This order is different from the rest of the body systems, for which you inspect, then percuss, palpate, and auscultate.
What is the purpose of an abdominal assessment?
The purpose of the abdominal exam is to get more information that could indicate what is causing the patient’s symptoms. The physician gains information by inspecting, auscultating, palpating, and percussing the abdomen.
How do you assess a patient with abdominal pain?
The American College of Radiology has recommended different imaging studies for assessing abdominal pain based on pain location. Ultrasonography is recommended to assess right upper quadrant pain, and computed tomography is recommended for right and left lower quadrant pain.
What questions do you ask during an abdominal assessment?
Abdominal pain
- Does the patient use a single finger or spread the fingers and move the palm over much of the abdomen?
- What is the nature of the pain? Note body language.
- Are there any aggravating or relieving factors?
- How often is the pain felt and how long does it last?
- Is there radiation elsewhere?
What questions do you ask for abdominal assessment?
When assessing the abdomen which assessment technique is used last?
The physical examination of the patient begins with inspection. Unique to the sequence of the abdomen, the abdomen is then auscultated, percussed and finally, palpated. Auscultating before the percussion and palpation of the abdomen ensures that the examiner is listening to undisturbed bowel sounds.
What is abdominal palpation?
Palpation of the abdomen involves touching or feeling the abdomen with your hands and is the fourth component of the abdominal exam. The goal of palpation is to detect any tenderness, masses, or organomegaly.
Should abdomen be firm or soft?
Normal: Abdomen is soft, rectus muscle is relaxed and no discomfort is elicited during palpation.
What is the difference between GI and GU?
The gastrointestinal (GI) system is responsible for the ingestion of food and the absorption of nutrients. Additionally, the GI and genitourinary (GU) systems are responsible for the elimination of waste products.
How do you evaluate abdominal pain?
How is abdominal pain diagnosed?
- Blood, urine, or stool tests.
- X-ray of the abdomen.
- Ultrasound of the abdomen.
- Computerized tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen.
- Barium enema (colon X-ray)
- Endoscopic procedures (inserting a tube with a tiny camera through your mouth or rectum to view areas inside your digestive tract)
- Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)
What are the 4 types of palpation?
Here’s how to do the basic four techniques Palpation and percussion can alter bowel sounds, so you’d inspect, auscultate, percuss, then palpate an abdomen.
What is normal percussion of abdomen?
Normal findings on percussion include tympany over the stomach, epigastric area, and upper midline, and dullness over the liver, a full bladder, a pregnant uterus and the left lower quadrant over the sigmoid colon (if the patient is ready to have a bowel movement).
How should a normal abdomen feel?
Normal findings might be documented as: “Abdomen soft to touch with no masses, swelling, pain, and rigidity.” Abnormal findings might be documented as: “Client noted generalized pain all over abdomen upon palpation, rating it 5/10. Abdomen firm to touch in all quadrants.