Table 3.
Frequency of use and perceived usefulness of physical examination signs or manoeuvres*,+
| Physical examination sign or manoeuvre | n | Useful % | Frequent % | Infrequent and not useful % | Frequent and not useful % | Infrequent and useful % | Frequent and useful % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auscultation for pulmonary wheezes | 2,677 | 97.3 | 96.7 | 0.4 | 2.0 | 2.6 | 95.0 |
| Auscultation for presence of pulmonary crackles | 2,671 | 96.5 | 96.2 | 0.5 | 2.6 | 2.8 | 94.1 |
| Palpation of the abdomen for tenderness | 2,675 | 96.0 | 93.6 | 0.7 | 3.0 | 5.4 | 90.9 |
| Muscular power | 2,674 | 94.3 | 80.3 | 1.3 | 4.1 | 18.2 | 76.4 |
| Cerebellar function | 2,680 | 94.0 | 59.4 | 2.5 | 3.3 | 38.0 | 56.1 |
| Palpation of an artery to determine cardiac rate | 2,672 | 93.6 | 91.1 | 1.8 | 4.3 | 6.7 | 87.3 |
| Evaluation of gait | 2,669 | 93.4 | 58.5 | 3.6 | 2.5 | 37.6 | 56.3 |
| Level of consciousness using a rating scale (eg GCS) | 2,670 | 93.2 | 80.7 | 2.3 | 4.0 | 16.6 | 77.1 |
| Auscultation to determine if a cardiac murmur is present | 2,677 | 93.0 | 93.0 | 1.0 | 5.7 | 5.8 | 87.5 |
| Auscultation for pulmonary air entry | 2,676 | 92.5 | 92.3 | 2.7 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 88.0 |
| Plantar responses | 2,671 | 90.8 | 81.0 | 2.9 | 5.8 | 15.7 | 75.6 |
| Percussion of the chest for abnormal dullness | 2,674 | 90.6 | 75.6 | 3.7 | 5.4 | 20.4 | 70.5 |
| Tendon reflexes | 2,672 | 90.6 | 73.2 | 3.0 | 6.0 | 23.4 | 67.6 |
| External ocular movements | 2,673 | 90.5 | 59.2 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 35.9 | 55.0 |
| Lymphadenopathy | 2,667 | 90.2 | 60.3 | 3.9 | 5.2 | 35.4 | 55.4 |
| Palpation of abdomen for masses | 2,678 | 90.1 | 89.8 | 1.5 | 8.2 | 8.4 | 81.9 |
| Abdominal palpation and percussion to assess the presence of ascites | 2,670 | 89.7 | 68.2 | 4.4 | 5.4 | 27.0 | 63.1 |
| Pupillary responses | 2,671 | 89.6 | 59.5 | 5.2 | 4.8 | 35.1 | 55.0 |
| Assessment of speech | 2,672 | 89.5 | 57.0 | 6.2 | 3.9 | 36.6 | 53.3 |
| Muscular tone | 2,672 | 88.2 | 66.3 | 5.4 | 6.0 | 28.0 | 60.6 |
| Postural blood pressure for volume status | 2,678 | 88.2 | 54.4 | 6.8 | 4.8 | 38.7 | 49.7 |
| Abdominal palpation and percussion to assess the size of the liver | 2,674 | 87.9 | 79.5 | 4.1 | 7.7 | 16.0 | 72.2 |
| Evaluation of cutaneous rash | 2,671 | 87.7 | 58.8 | 5.7 | 6.2 | 35.2 | 52.9 |
| Abdominal auscultation for the presence of bowel sounds | 2,677 | 87.6 | 73.7 | 4.9 | 7.2 | 21.2 | 66.6 |
| Visual fields | 2,675 | 87.2 | 40.1 | 8.0 | 4.6 | 51.8 | 35.7 |
| Peripheral sensation | 2,674 | 86.9 | 54.2 | 6.9 | 5.9 | 38.7 | 48.5 |
| Auscultation of character of breath sounds | 2,674 | 86.5 | 88.5 | 4.3 | 8.9 | 6.9 | 80.0 |
| Evaluation of joints for impaired range of movement | 2,673 | 85.2 | 42.3 | 10.6 | 3.8 | 47.0 | 38.6 |
| Evaluation of the knee joint | 2,673 | 84.7 | 35.1 | 10.7 | 4.3 | 54.1 | 30.9 |
| Cognitive function using a rating scale (eg AMT) | 2,663 | 84.2 | 58.9 | 9.8 | 5.3 | 30.8 | 54.1 |
| Auscultation of the heart sounds | 2,679 | 84.0 | 83.3 | 5.4 | 10.4 | 11.1 | 73.0 |
| Examination of the thyroid gland | 2,676 | 83.3 | 41.9 | 12.3 | 4.1 | 45.7 | 37.9 |
| Auscultation to determine the character of pulmonary crackles | 2,679 | 81.9 | 84.3 | 6.9 | 11.1 | 8.6 | 73.4 |
| Postural stability by Romberg’s test | 2,675 | 81.7 | 37.2 | 13.0 | 5.1 | 49.7 | 32.3 |
| Assessment of the eyes for thyroid eye disease | 2,674 | 81.7 | 35.3 | 14.5 | 3.4 | 50.0 | 32.0 |
| Swallowing | 2,670 | 81.0 | 34.2 | 14.5 | 4.1 | 51.0 | 30.3 |
| Jugular venous pressure | 2,672 | 80.5 | 61.6 | 10.7 | 8.5 | 27.4 | 53.4 |
| Evaluation of joints for synovitis | 2,669 | 79.6 | 31.9 | 15.6 | 4.3 | 52.3 | 27.8 |
| Abdominal palpation and percussion to assess size of the spleen | 2,673 | 78.4 | 61.8 | 12.1 | 9.2 | 25.9 | 52.9 |
| Evaluation of the optic disc | 2,676 | 78.3 | 28.5 | 16.7 | 4.8 | 54.7 | 23.8 |
| Visual acuity | 2,672 | 76.6 | 26.6 | 18.5 | 4.6 | 54.8 | 22.2 |
| Auscultation to determine the cause of a cardiac murmur | 2,672 | 76.1 | 77.6 | 8.0 | 15.6 | 14.1 | 62.4 |
| Capillary refill time | 2,672 | 75.3 | 50.8 | 16.4 | 8.0 | 32.6 | 43.1 |
| Thyroid status | 2,674 | 74.1 | 37.1 | 18.6 | 7.0 | 44.2 | 30.2 |
| Evaluation of the retinae | 2,670 | 73.4 | 25.4 | 21.3 | 4.8 | 53.1 | 20.7 |
| Rectal examination to assess the prostate gland | 2,679 | 71.9 | 28.1 | 21.7 | 6.2 | 50.1 | 21.9 |
| Palpation of the trachea | 2,675 | 70.9 | 38.5 | 20.5 | 8.4 | 40.9 | 30.2 |
| Palpation of artery pulse to determine character of the pulse | 2,674 | 70.6 | 64.9 | 17.1 | 12.1 | 17.8 | 53.1 |
| Abdominal auscultation to assess the character of bowel sounds | 2,672 | 68.7 | 59.6 | 18.2 | 12.7 | 21.9 | 47.1 |
| Skin turgor | 2,671 | 66.3 | 56.9 | 20.9 | 12.5 | 22.0 | 44.6 |
| Central cyanosis | 2,670 | 64.2 | 47.9 | 24.8 | 10.7 | 27.1 | 37.4 |
| Hearing | 2,673 | 62.2 | 19.3 | 33.1 | 4.5 | 47.5 | 14.9 |
| Praecordial palpation for the location and character of the apical impulse | 2,675 | 62.0 | 45.3 | 27.1 | 10.7 | 27.5 | 34.7 |
| Praecordial palpation to detect thrills or heaves | 2,671 | 61.5 | 41.9 | 27.5 | 10.7 | 30.4 | 31.3 |
| Chest expansion | 2,671 | 60.4 | 33.7 | 31.5 | 7.9 | 34.7 | 26.0 |
| Conjunctival pallor | 2,673 | 53.0 | 59.6 | 25.2 | 21.6 | 15.0 | 38.2 |
| Character of the jugular venous waveform | 2,667 | 51.3 | 34.6 | 37.9 | 10.4 | 27.3 | 24.4 |
| Abdominal palpation and percussion to assess the size of the kidneys | 2,674 | 49.8 | 39.0 | 34.9 | 15.1 | 26.0 | 24.0 |
| Summary statistics | % | % | % | % | % | % | |
| Minimum | 49.8 | 19.3 | 0.4 | 2.0 | 2.6 | 14.9 | |
| 2.5 percentile | 52.0 | 25.9 | 0.6 | 2.5 | 3.7 | 21.2 | |
| 25 percentile | 74.4 | 39.3 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 16.9 | 32.1 | |
| Median | 84.5 | 59.1 | 8.0 | 5.6 | 27.8 | 53.0 | |
| 75 percentile | 90.2 | 77.1 | 17.9 | 8.5 | 40.4 | 69.8 | |
| 97.5 percentile | 96.3 | 95.1 | 34.1 | 15.4 | 54.4 | 92.7 | |
| Maximum | 97.3 | 96.7 | 37.9 | 21.6 | 54.8 | 95.0 |
*The signs are ranked in descending order of perceived usefulness as defined in the Useful % column.
+As a further visual guide, percentages in each column over two thirds (>66%) are shown in bold and percentages under one third (<33%) are shown in italics.
AMT = abbreviated mental test; GCS = Glasgow Coma Scale