There are some important aspects of a physical exam that you, as the examiner, should remember. A good relationship needs to be initiated in order to successfully do a head to toe assessment. The patient needs to trust you and be able to talk openly with you. Always wash your hands prior to touching the patient. Always respect the privacy of the patient and be kind, courteous, and caring. Keep the patient's body covered as much as possible in order to prevent them from being uncomfortable. Always consider the patients' cultures and how physical assessments may make them feel. Avoid being distracted by other paperwork, pagers, phones, and overhead pages. Do NOT let your patient feel like you are rushing through their exam and be sure to always inform the patient before continuing through the examination and thank them.
The body systems include:
It may help to assess all of these systems by literally going from head to toe as a means of organization. This will help keep your assessment in order and will help keep a constant flow of organized thought. Each system has special pieces of information for you (as the nurse) to investigate. Take a look at the PDF file that gives an overview of what to assess in each system.
Reflect on your head to toe assessments in clinical this far, and address what you are doing well at and what you need to improve on. This self- awareness and reflection will allow you to better care for you patients in the future.
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