Physical examination template
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Charmaine Patel, M.D. [2]
Introduction to the Physical Examination Page
- The page name should be "(Disease name) physical examination", with only the first letter of the title capitalized.
- Goal:To describe in detail the various aspects of the physical examination with attention to how the disease you are describing may present.
- Remember this section is to describe what characteristics may be found on physical examination, not how to do a physical exam (unless you are including specialized signs, eg Chvostek's sign, in which case you may give a brief description).
- As with all microchapter pages liking to the main page, at the top of the edit box put {{CMG}}, your name template, and the microchapter navigation template you created at the beginning.
- Remember to create links within Wikidoc by placing [[square brackets]] around key words which you want to link to other pages. For more information on how to create links click here.
- Remember to follow the same format and capitalization of letters as outlined in the template below.
- Below you will see examples of what you may describe as part of the physical examination.
Overview
- The overview section should include the disease name in the first sentence.
- The goal is to summarize the physical examination page in several sentences. This section can be the same as the physical examination segment on the overview page.
- To see an example of an overview section on a physical examination page, click here.
- A template sentence for the overview statement is as follows: "Disease name" is commonly associated with the findings of ___ on physical examination. Other pertinent findings include ___".
Appearance of the Patient
- This section should give a general description of what a patient with the disease you are describing may look like. You may include a physical description such as obese, thin, cachectic, well appearing, ill appearing, diaphoretic etc.
- For an example of the appearance of a patient section in the physical examination page, click here.
Vitals
Temperature
- A fever is often present
- Hypothermia may be present
Pulse
Rate
- Tachycardia may be present
- Bradycardia may be present
Rhythm
- The pulse is regular
- The pules is irregularly irregular
Strength
- The pulse may be weak
- The pulse may be bounding
- The pulse may be alternating in strength (pulsus alternans)
- A paradoxical pulse may be present
Symmetry
- The pulses may be asymmetric
Blood Pressure
- Hypotension may be present
- Hypertension may be present
- A wide pulse pressure may be present
- A narrow pulse pressure may be present
Respiratory Rate
Skin
- Cyanosis may be present
- Jaundice may be present
- A rash may be present
- Pallor may be present
- Lesions may be present
Head
- Abnormalities of the head/hair may include ___
- There may be evidence of trauma
Eyes
- Icteric sclera may be present
- Nystagmus may be present.
- Note any problems with extra-ocular movement.
Ears
Nose
Throat
Neck
- Jugular venous pressure may be elevated
- Carotid bruits may be present
- Lymph nodes may be present
- Thyromegaly may be present
- Hepatojugular reflux may be present
Lungs
- Pulmonary edema and rales may be present
- Wheezing may be present
- Consolidation may be present
- Egophony may be present
Heart
Auscultation
- S1
- S2
- S3
- S4
- Gallops
- A systolic murmur best heard at the base may be present
- A systolic murmur best heard at the apex may be present
- A diastolic murmur may be present
Abdomen
- Abdominal distention may be present
- Abdominal tenderenss may be present
- Rebound may be present
- An acute abdomen may be present
- An abdominal mass may be present
- Hepatomegaly may be present
- Splenomegaly may be present