Physical assessment: a continuing need for clarification.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Clinical Practice
• Physical Assessment Skills

Background:

• Physical assessment skills are fundamental to the nursing process and are a core component of pre-licensure nursing education.
• There is a notable lack of research comparing the physical assessment skills taught in nursing education with those actually employed in clinical practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the existing literature on physical assessment skills and their application in nursing practice.
• To identify discrepancies between the curriculum of physical assessment skills and their real-world utilization.

Main Methods:

• An integrated literature review was conducted.
• The review focused on physical assessment skills and their practical application in nursing.

Main Results:

• Physical assessment skills are consistently identified as a crucial part of the initial step in the nursing process.
• However, the specific skills encompassed within this definition require further clarification.

Conclusions:

• Further research is essential to determine if the physical assessment skills taught in nursing education are consistently applied in clinical settings.
• The extent to which these skills are utilized in practice needs to be investigated to bridge the gap between education and practice.