palpation

1. Micro-Teaching
on
Palpation
By:-Prakash Mahala
M.Sc. Nsg 1styear

2. Introduction :-
Palpation is the examination of the body using the sense of touch .
 The pads of the finger are used because their concentration of nerve
ending make them highly sensitive to tactile discrimination.
 Palpation is used to determine :-
(a)texture
(b)Temperature
(c) Vibration
(d) position
(e) size
(f)consistency and mass
of organ
(g)distention

3. Definition:-
The act of feeling with the hand; the application of the fingers with
light pressure to the surface of the body for the purpose of
determining the condition of the parts beneath in physical diagnosis.
Dorland's Medical Dictionary for Health Consumers
A technique used in physical examination in which the examiner
feels the texture, size, consistency, and location of certain body parts
with the hands.
Mosby's Medical Dictionary

4. General Principle
Ensure that the examiner hand are warm.
 If the patient is in a low bed ,sit on ,or kneel bedside the bed.
Ask the patient to place the arms alongside the body to help relax
the abdominal wall.
Ask the patient to report any tenderness elicited during the
examination.
During palpation , observe the patient face for any grimace indicate
of local discomfort.
Area of tenderness should be palpated last.

5. Type:-
There are two type :-
(a) Light palpation
(b) Deep palpation

6. Light palpation:-
Light (superficial) palpation should always precede deep
palpation because heavy pressure on the fingertips can dull the
sense of touch.
For light palpation the nurse extend the dominant hand’s finger
parallel to the skin surface and pressure gentle while moving the
hand in a circle.

7. Deep palpation:-
Place one on top of other and feel with lower hand
 deep palpation is done with two hand .
 In deep bimanual palpation the nurse extend the dominant
hand as for light palpation then place the finger pad of the non-
dominant hand on the dorsal surface of the distal interphalangeal
joint of the middle three finger of the dominant hand.

8. Palpation of neck:-

9. Gallbladder :-

10. The bladder:-

11. Palpation of the liver:

12. The spleen:

13. Pancreas:-

14. Tenderness points
Costovertebral Costolumber
Point Point

15. conclusion
Palpation is used to palpate underlying organ
and tissue for their location and size and to
determine any abnormalities in that organ.

16. BIBLIOGRAPHY
•Medical surgical nursing, levis, publisher mosby, edition 7th ,
page no 45-46
•Foundation of nursing, publication mosby, edition 4th ,
page no 54
•www.rnceus.com
•www.drpbanerji.com/palpation
•www://wikipedia.org/wiki/palpation
•Macleod’s clinical examination elsevier science, 10th edition,
page no 160-163
•Fundamentals of nursing,7th edition, barbara kozier, page no
565-567