Reflective Journal

Introduction to Physical Assessment in Nursing

This reflective journal aims to provide a concise overview of my theoretical learning experience regarding ‘Physical assessment in Nursing’ with the help of Gibbs (1998) reflective cycle.

Description of Physical Assessment in Nursing

A few weeks ago, my tutor explained the techniques used during the physical assessment in nursing and how important it is to assess the patients in the right manner with the right techniques.

Feelings of Physical Assessment in Nursing

On the whole, this class was a memorable experience for me, In the beginning I was very nervous that whether I will be able to learn and understand all these techniques in a while but later on, as the class proceeded the tutor explained the whole assessment in such a way that all of my nervousness flew away.

Evaluation & Analysis of Physical Assessment in Nursing

From the whole lecture, I have evaluated and analyzed that the enclosure of “advanced” physical assessment techniques such as observation, percussion, palpation, and auscultation are used in assembling the important information about the patient and prepare the nurses for intricate patient presentations (Clint et al., 2016). Apart from the techniques done during a physical assessment, there are certain little things that make a big difference and nurses should keep in mind while performing physical assessment such as there is a need to be systematic, patent’s privacy and comfort must be ensured, and hands should be warm for patient comfort (Asif et al., 2017).

Conclusion on Physical Assessment in Nursing

I conclude that an ordered physical assessment is essential in nursing as it allows a nurse to attain an entire assessment of patients. a suitable, precise, and timely assessment by nurses is the foundation stone of maintaining patient safety in hospitals (Zambas, Smythe & Koziol-Mclain, 2016).

References for Physical Assessment in Nursing

Asif, T., Mohiuddin, A., Hasan, B., & Pauly, R. R. (2017). Importance Of thorough physical examination: A Lost Art. Cureus, 9(5), e1212. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.1212

Clint, D., Booker, C., Fox, R., Windsor, C., Osborne S., & Gardner, G. (2016). Nursing physical assessment for patient safety in general wards: Reaching consensus on core skills. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 25(13), 1890-1900. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.13201

Zambas, S. I., Smythe, E. A., & Koziol-Mclain, J. (2016). The consequences of using advanced physical assessment skills in medical and surgical nursing: A hermeneutic pragmatic study. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being, 11, 32090. https://doi.org/10.3402/qhw.v11.32090

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