Definition of Palpation – Nursing is a profession within the healthcare sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other healthcare providers by their approach to patient care, training, and scope of practice. Nurses practice in many specialisms with differing levels of prescriber authority.
Many nurses provide care within the ordering scope of physicians, and this traditional role has shaped the public image of nurses as care providers. However, nurses are permitted by most jurisdictions to practice independently in a variety of settings depending on training level. In the postwar period, nurse education has undergone a process of diversification towards advanced and specialized credentials, and many of the traditional regulations and provider roles are changing.
Nurses develop a plan of care, working collaboratively with physicians, therapists, the patient, the patient’s family, and other team members, that focus on treating illness to improve quality of life. Nurses may help coordinate the patient care performed by other members of an interdisciplinary healthcare team such as therapists, medical practitioners, and dietitians. Nurses provide care both interdependently, for example, with physicians, and independently as nursing professionals.
Definition of Palpation
Examination by touch is called palpation. The nurses feels for texture, size, consistency, and location of body parts
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Palpation is the examination of the body using the sense of the touch. The pads of the fingers are used because their concentration of nerve endings makes them highly sensitive to tactile discrimination.
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Palpation is the examination using the sense of touch. Used to determine temperature, position (location), size, texture (masses, fluids), vibration (joints), tenderness/pain, rate (pulse).
Things You Will Noted During Palpation /Characteristics of Palpation:
1. Texture: Rough/smooth.
2. Temperature: Warm / cold.
3. Moisture: Dry/wet.
4. Mobility: Fixed/movable/still/vibrating.
5. Consistency: Soft/hard/fluid filled.
6. Strength of pulses: Strong/weak/thread/bounding.
7. Size: Small/medium/large.
8. Shape: Well defined / irregular. And
9. Degree of tenderness.
Principles for Accurate Palpation
1. Examiner finger nails should be short.
2. Use sensitive part of the hand.
3. Light Palpation precedes deep palpation.
4. Start with light then deep palpation
5. Tender area are palpated last
6. Tell client to take slow deep breath to enhance muscle relaxation.
7. Examine condition of the abdominal organs
8. Depressed areas must be approximately “2cm”
9. Assess turgor of skin measured by lightly grasping the body part with finger tips.
Types of Palpation:
There are two distinct types of palpation:
1. Light and
2. Deep palpation.
Each of these techniques is briefly described here
A. Light Palpation: Light palpation is done more frequently than deep palpation and is always performed before deep palpation. As the name implies, light palpation is superficial, delicate, and gentle. In light palpation, the finger pads are used to gain information on the patient’s skin surface to a depth of approximately 1 centimeter (cm) below the surface. Light palpation reveals information on skin texture and moisture; overt, large, or superficial masses; and fluid, muscle guarding, and superficial tenderness.
Figure: Light Palpation
B. Deep Palpation
Deep palpation can reveal information about the position of organs and masses, as well as their size, shape, mobility, consistency, and areas of discomfort. Deep palpation uses the hands to explore the body’s internal structures to a depth of 4 to 5 cm or more (Figure). This technique is most often used for the abdominal and male and female reproductive assessments.
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