When performing a physical examination for a client with scoliosis which physical characteristic should the nurse expect to find during the assessment quizlet?

B. Inspection

Rationale: First action of the nursing process is to assess the client. The nurse should begin a complete physical exam by inspecting the client's body systematically, observing for both expected & unexpected physical findings. When assessing most body systems, the recommended order is inspection, palpation, percussion, & auscultation.

Which action by a nurse demonstrates proper technique for assessment of chest expansion?

a) Beginning at the scapular line, percuss the intercostal spaces along both sides of the posterior chest
b) Place both hands on the posterior chest at T9, press thumbs together, and then ask client to take a deep breath
c) Place the stethoscope on the posterior chest wall, ask the client to take a deep breath, and observe chest rise and fall
d) Use the ball of both hands to feel for vibrations in a symmetrical pattern across the posterior chest

Which finding during an assessment of a client should alert the nurse?

Which finding during an assessment of a client should alert the nurse to the presence of a persistent atelectasis? Unequal expansion of the chest. A nurse assesses the respiration pattern on a client who arrives in the emergency department due to an overdose of narcotics.

Which physical examination technique should the nurse use to elicit crepitus?

The nurse should use the palpation technique to elicit crepitus. Crepitus is a crackling sensation that occurs when air passes through fluid or exudate. Auscultation, percussion, and inspection cannot elicit crepitus because it is air trapped into the tissue around the lungs.

When Percussing a clients chest the nurse should expect to hear?

Resonance is the normal sound heard when percussing the lungs because they are filled with air rather than dense tissue. However, it may be more of a dull or flat sound if a client has adipose tissue or a muscular chest, because this increased density modifies the sound.

What is the purpose of the side to side pattern used during respiratory assessment?

Listen to sounds from side to side rather than down one side and then down the other side. This side-to-side pattern allows you to compare sounds in symmetrical lung fields.