Physical assessment: a vital nursing tool in both developing and developed countries

In developed countries such as the United States and Great Britain, the use of technology to assess and diagnose a patient's health status is often taken for granted. In developing countries, however, the lack of available technology, replacement parts, and ability to maintain the machinery is severely limited. More often than not, diagnosis and consequent treatment are decided through physical assessment findings alone. It is therefore imperative that critical care nurses in developing countries acquire and utilize good physical assessment skills to enhance quality nursing care. This article focuses on physical assessment skills from a global perspective, emphasizing the value of this knowledge and its application to clinical practice for critical care nurses in both developing and developed countries.