Assessment should be made in order to determine
- general appearance (e.g., venous distention, edema, chest wall movement, clubbing, cyanosis)
- airway function (e.g., macroglossia, neck range of motion)
- cough, sputum amount, character.
Process/Skill Questions:
- When do you begin the patient inspection?
- How do you know the patient is in distress?
- Why is it important to ask about a patient’s sputum?