General exam and vital signs
General inspection, vital signs, pain, hydration, consciousness and early warning scores.
22 pages
Vital sign
- Arterial pulse: rate, rhythm and amplitudeHow to feel and count the pulse, and what a fast, slow, irregular, weak or bounding pulse points…
- Blood pressure measurementHow to measure blood pressure properly with a cuff and stethoscope, and how adult readings are…
- Body temperature and fever patternsHow temperature is measured, when there is a fever and what shapes the fever curve can take over…
- Orthostatic vital signsBlood pressure and pulse lying down and then standing, to see whether the body copes with the…
- Pain assessment and pain scalesHow to ask about pain and how to measure its intensity with numeric, visual and faces scales…
- Pulse oximetryA finger sensor estimates how much oxygen the blood carries; quick and useful, but with pitfalls…
- Respiratory rate and breathing patternsHow many times a patient breathes per minute, how deeply and how regularly, and which abnormal…
Sign
- Capillary refill timePress the nail until it turns white and time how long the colour takes to return: it shows how…
- Diagnostic faciesSome diseases change the face in typical ways; recognising them points to the diagnosis at first…
- Edema: pitting, grading and distributionSwelling from fluid in the tissues: how to look for pitting, how to grade it and what its site…
- Pallor, cyanosis and jaundiceThree colour changes of skin and mucosae that point to anemia, lack of oxygen or excess…
Topic
- Early warning scores: NEWS2 and qSOFASimple scores built from vital signs that help spot the deteriorating patient in time
- Fatigue and asthenia: tiredness, weakness and the causes not to missFeeling tired all the time is common and has many causes: anemia, thyroid problems, depression…
- Types of pain: nociceptive, neuropathic, visceral and referredPain from injured tissue, from an organ, from a damaged nerve, or felt far from where it starts…
- Unintentional weight loss and weight gain: the approachLosing or gaining weight without trying can be a clue to thyroid disease, diabetes, infection…
- Vital signs in children: how they change with ageThe younger the child, the faster the pulse and breathing and the lower the blood pressure…
- Vital signs: what they are and how to record themTemperature, pulse, breathing and blood pressure: four numbers that show how the body is working…
- Which imaging study for which question: abdomen, kidney, blood, brainA guide to the first imaging test for common clinical questions: belly pain, kidney problems…
Exam technique
- General inspection: appearance, posture, gait and consciousnessThe first look at the patient: how they appear, how they move and how alert they are, before any…
- Hydration status: signs of dehydrationWhat to look at and feel at the bedside to tell whether a patient is short of fluid, and by how…
- Level of consciousness and the Glasgow Coma ScaleHow to describe how awake a patient is and how to score it with the Glasgow Coma Scale, from 3…
- Weight, height, body mass index and waist circumferenceHow to weigh, measure height and work out body mass index, and why waist size matters too
A to Z
Educational content on the clinical exam; it is learned and practised under supervision. It does not replace assessment by a health professional and is not for self-diagnosis.
Representative model, for educational purposes only.