Nursing physical assessment skills: implications for UK practice

The physical assessment skills of inspection, palpation, percussion and auscultation currently have only minimal recognition in UK nursing practice. Authors attest to perceived benefits in terms of continuity of care, holistic care delivery, rapidity of emergency intervention and reduction in junior doctors' hours and workload. However, the use of such skills by nurses has been subject to little in the way of formal outcome-based evaluation, and there is a clear need for such research to be carried out within the UK. Important guidelines exist within the literature to underpin educational programmes in physical assessment; these are reviewed and their implications for UK practice are considered. It is concluded that while generation of a UK evidence base is required, there is a persuasive argument to underpin continued development of physical assessment skills within UK nursing practice.