A registered nurse is conducting a comprehensive physical assessment on a 77-year-old client in a primary care clinic. Which action by the nurse demonstrates the correct execution of assessment techniques?
- APalpating the client's four abdominal quadrants deeply prior to auscultating for bowel sounds
- Applying firm pressure with the diaphragm of the stethoscope to auscultate breath sounds in a side-to-side sequenceCevap
- CAssigning the unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) to evaluate the amplitude and symmetry of the client's pedal pulses
- DDocumenting the auscultation of a new S3 heart sound as an expected physiological change of the aging process
Cevap
Applying firm pressure with the diaphragm of the stethoscope to auscultate breath sounds in a side-to-side sequence
The correct physical assessment technique for auscultating the lungs involves using the diaphragm of the stethoscope, which is specifically designed to transmit high-pitched sounds like normal breath sounds. The diaphragm must be pressed firmly against the client's skin to eliminate environmental noise and accurately capture the sounds. Furthermore, the nurse should auscultate in a systematic side-to-side pattern (rather than completing one entire side before the other) to immediately compare symmetry between the right and left lung fields.
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Techniques of Physical Assessment