Adult Physical Assessment

This two-day seminar presents an overview of the physical assessment of the adult patient correlated with common clinical conditions encountered with each system. The first day covers the assessment of vital signs and the evaluation of abnormal findings including the influence of drugs on temperature, respirations, pulse and blood pressure. The clinical condi­tions and there effects on vital signs include head injury, drug fever, thyroid dysfunction, infectious diseases, iron deficiency and others. The first day also includes the assessment of the nervous system and common clinical conditions related to neurologic dysfunction. Head injured patients, dementia, “brain attack”, Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders, cranial nerve dysfunctions   and age-related changes are included. The second day covers the heart and lung exam and the abdominal exam. Topographical landmarks are correlated with underlying structures in the thorax and abdomen. Auscultation of the heart and lungs is emphasized. A review of normal heart sounds and their relationship to the cardiac cycle will be followed by a discussion of common cardiac mummers and their characteristics. Adventitious breath sounds are correlated with common pulmonary diseases such as COPD, asthma and pneumonia. The GI/GU exam emphasizes the patient with abdominal distention and abdominal pain.

Physical Assessment Update and Overview

This topic can be divided into various sections and present as half-day conferences or a full-day conference. The sections include:
Cardiovascular and Respiratory Assessment
Neuro Assessment
Abdominal Assessment
The Interpretation of Vital Signs
Each of the above includes not only the assessment parameters but also common clinical findings that occur. Murmurs and adventitious lung sounds are described, bowel sounds and findings with the acute abdomen, neuro conditions including the exam of the patient with intracranial injury, and more.