Table 2.
Development of basic physical assessment skills over the 3-year nursing programme
| Physical assessment skills | Mean (SD), Median | Cohen’s d effect size | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st year | 2nd year | 3rd year | 1–2 year | 1–3 year | |
| Heart and peripheral circulation | |||||
| Inspect extremities for skin colour/hair growth | 4.51 (1.17), 5 | 5.13 (3.69), 5 | 4.73 (1.05), 5 | 0.22 | 0.19 |
| Palpate distal pulses | 3.62 (0.96), 4 | 4.28 (1.12), 4 | 4.22 (1.07), 4 | 0.63* | 0.59* |
| Count pulses a,b | 4.23 (2.57), 4 | 5.14 (0.80), 5 | 4.99 (0.87), 5 | 0.48 | 0.39 |
| Palpate for oedema a,b | 3.65 (1.16), 4 | 4.20 (1.06), 4 | 4.38 (0.99), 4 | 0.50* | 0.67* |
| Palpate and inspect capillary refill a,b | 2.78 (1.21), 3 | 3.76 (1.21), 4 | 3.77 (1.11), 4 | 0.80* | 0.85* |
| Estimate skin fold a,b | 2.86 (0.94), 3 | 3.30 (1.08), 3 | 3.56 (0.91), 4 | 0.43 | 0.75* |
| Evaluate extremities for skin sensation a,b | 2.30 (1.10), 2 | 3.10 (1.15), 3 | 2.92 (0.87), 3 | 0.71* | 0.62* |
| Assess fine motor skills | 2.62 (1.27), 2 | 2.98 (1.23), 3 | 2.98 (0.96), 3 | 0.28 | 0.31 |
| Take blood pressure b,c | 3.91 (1.04), 4 | 3.61 (1.09), 4 | 4.29 (1.09), 4 | -0.28 | 0.35 |
| Auscultate heart sounds | 2.52 (1.02), 2 | 2.32 (1.01), 2 | 2.57 (0.88), 2 | -0.19 | 0.05 |
| Auscultate carotid artery | 2.60 (0.91), 2 | 2.52 (1.16), 2 | 2.76 (0.97), 3 | -0.07 | 0.17 |
| Thorax | |||||
| Inspect thorax for shape, breathing effort a,b | 3.55 (1.16), 4 | 4.45 (1.25), 5 | 4.31 (1.06), 4 | 0.74* | 0.68* |
| Count respiratory rate a,b,c | 3.99 (0.91), 3 | 5.57 (0.65), 6 | 5.09 (0.87), 5 | 1.99* | 1.23* |
| Inspect thorax for skin colour/scar a,b | 4.28 (1.22), 4 | 5.13 (0.83), 5 | 5.97 (0.77), 5 | 0.83* | 1.63* |
| Palpate thorax wall for thoracic expansion and vocal fremitus a,b | 2.82 (1.03), 3 | 3.41 (1.34), 3 | 3.27 (1.07), 3 | 0.50* | 0.42 |
| Percuss the lungs b | 2.41 (0.79), 2 | 2.52 (1.02), 2 | 2.87 (0.93), 3 | 0.12 | 0.53* |
| Auscultate lungs | 2.70 (0.86), 3 | 2.76 (1.02), 3 | 3.13 (0.99), 3 | 0.06 | 0.46 |
| Assess SpO2a,b | 3.83 (1.31), 4 | 5.63 (0.66), 6 | 5.03 (1.02), 5 | 1.73* | 1.02* |
| Abdomen | |||||
| Inspect abdomen a,b | 2.95 (1.21), 3 | 3.87 (1.06), 4 | 3.74 (1.07), 4 | 0.80* | 0.69* |
| Auscultate abdomen for bowel sounds b | 2.61 (0.86), 2,5 | 2.90 (1.06), 3 | 3.02 (0.92), 3 | 0.30 | 0.46 |
| Light abdominal palpation a,b | 2.62 (0.89), 3 | 3.13 (1.05), 3 | 3.36 (0.90), 3 | 0.52* | 0.82* |
| Deep abdominal palpation | 2.21 (0.78), 2 | 2.65 (1.00), 2 | 2.70 (0.90), 3 | 0.49 | 0.58* |
| Percuss the abdomen b | 2.36 (0.79), 2 | 2.52 (0.99), 2 | 2.77 (0.81), 3 | 0.17 | 0.51* |
| Percuss for kidney tenderness a,b | 2.05 (0.84), 2 | 2.41 (0.97), 2 | 2.57 (0.81), 2 | 0.39 | 0.63* |
| Neurology | |||||
| Evaluate CN I-XII | 1.82 (0.88), 2 | 1.88 (1.73), 1 | 2.20 (1.09), 2 | 0.04 | 0.38 |
| Evaluate muscle strength, atrophy, tone | 2.63 (1.13), 2 | 2.73 (1.26), 3 | 2.79 (1.06), 3 | 0.08 | 0.14 |
| Evaluate sensation of touch a,b | 2.28 (1.12), 2 | 2.89 (1.2), 3 | 2.96 (0.91), 3 | 0.52* | 0.66* |
| Assess coordination and balance | 3.16 (1.13), 3 | 3.43 (1.46), 3 | 3.32 (1.23), 3 | 0.20 | 0.13 |
| Evaluate patella and plantar reflexes | 2.25 (0.67), 2 | 2.36 (0.77), 2 | 2.47 (0.80), 2 | 0.15 | 0.29 |
amean difference is significant at the 0.016 level between 1st - 2nd year
bmean difference is significant at the 0.016 level between 1st - 3rd year
cmean difference is significant at the 0.016 level between 2nd - 3rd year
*Cohen’s d effect size above 0.5