An Easy Guide to Head to Toe Assessment

© Mary C. Vrtis, Ph.D., RN, 2011 available from [Link]

Neurological Assessment
Oriented to:  Person  Place  Time
Communication/ Speech:  WNL  Non-verbal  Dysarthria  Aphasia:  Expressive  Receptive  Global
Pupils:  PERRLA OR
Equal:  Yes  No  R larger  L larger Round:  Yes  No  R abnormal shape  L abnormal shape
Reactive to Light:  Yes  N Reaction:  Brisk  Sluggish  R no reaction  L no reaction
Accommodation:  R  L (hold finger 4” above nose, bring closer to face, do both eyes maintain focus?)

Glasgow Coma Scale (Score range 0 to 15, Coma =< 7)

Eye opening to:  Spontaneous = 4
 Verbal command = 3
 Pain = 2
 No response = 1
Verbal response to:  Oriented, converses = 5
 Disoriented, converses = 4
 Uses inappropriate words = 3
 Incomprehensible sounds = 2
 No response = 1
Motor response to:  Verbal command = 6
 Localized pain = 5
 Flexes and withdraws = 4
 Flexes abnormally (decorticate) = 3
 Extends abnormally (decerebrate) = 2
 No response = 1

Location Muscle Tone Muscle Sensation Tremor

Strength
Head/ Neck  WNL  Flaccid  Spastic  WNL  To pain  No response to pain  No  Present
R hand  WNL  Flaccid  Spastic
L hand  WNL  Flaccid  Spastic
RUE  WNL  Flaccid  Spastic
LUE  WNL  Flaccid  Spastic
RLE  WNL  Flaccid  Spastic
LLE  WNL  Flaccid  Spastic
Muscle Strength: 5 = WNL 4 = 75% normal 3 = 50% normal 2 = 25% normal 1 = 10% normal 0 = complete paralysis

Respiratory Assessment
Pulse ox:  WNL (95-100%)  WNL for this patient at _____
Cough:  None  Non-productive, dry  Productive  Productive sounding, no sputum
Sputum:  None Consistency:  Thick  Thin  Foamy Color:  White  Other, __________________
Oxygen:  N/A Room air  ____ liters/ nasal cannula  ____ % per face mask  Mechanical ventilator
Respiratory rate:  WNL  Tachypnea/ hyperventilation (too fast)  Bradypneic/ hypoventilation (too slow/ shallow)
Respiratory effort:  Relaxed and regular  Pursed lip breathing  Painful respiration  Labored
 Dyspnea at rest  Dyspnea with minimal effort, talking, eating, repositioning in bed, etc.
 Dyspnea with moderate exertion, dressing, walking =< 20 feet, etc.  Dyspnea when walking ____ feet or with exercise
Recovery time following dyspneic episode: _____ minutes
Respiratory rhythm:  WNL  Regular, tachypneic  Regular, bradypneic  Regular with periods of apnea
 Regular pattern of increasing rate and depth, followed by decreasing rate and depth, followed by apnea (Cheyne-Stokes)
 Regular, abnormal, rapid and deep respiration (central neurogenic hyperventilation)
 Regular, abnormal, prolonged inspiration with a pause or sigh with periods of apnea (apneustic)
 Irregularly irregular pattern/ depth (ataxic)  Irregular with periods of apnea (cluster breathing)
Breath sounds (auscultate anterior & posterior, R & L upper, mid, lower chest):
 Clear (vesicular) throughout
 Decreased (atelectasis?)
 Crackles:  Fine (sounds like hair rubbing)  Coarse/ moist
 Gurgles/ rhonci (low pitched, moaning, snoring sounds)
 Wheezes:  Inspiratory  Expiratory
 Friction rub (sounds like leather rubbing against leather)
 Absent (pneumothorax?)

Upper chest: Right ________________ Left ________________

Mid chest: Right ________________ Left ________________
Lower chest: Right ________________ Left ________________
An Easy Guide to Head to Toe Assessment
© Mary C. Vrtis, Ph.D., RN, 2011 available from [Link]

Cardiovascular Assessment
Skin:  Warm/ dry  Cool  Clammy/ diaphoretic Skin turgor:  WNL  Tenting Weight: ________ kg/ lb
Capillary refill:  WNL  Delayed > 2 seconds
Apical pulse rhythm:  Regular  Regularly irregular  Irregularly irregular
Apical pulse rate: Heart sounds:
 WNL (60-100)  Normal S1S2  S3 (gallop)
 Bradycardia  Valve click [artificial heart valve]
 Tachycardia  Murmur:
(Extremely low or high HRs  Holosystolic  Midsystolic  Diastolic
decrease C.O., blood and O2
to the vital organs). B/P:  WNL  Hypertension  Hypotension  R/ L diff.
 Lying  Sitting  Standing
Apical/ radial deficit:  No  Yes Orthostatic systolic drop  < 20 mm Hg  => 20 mm Hg

Peripheral Pulses Edema

R radial  Yes  Doppler  No R hand/ arm  No  Non-pitting  Pitting ___+
R femoral  Yes  Doppler  No R knee to thigh  No  Non-pitting  Pitting ___+
R pedal  Yes  Doppler  No R ankle to knee  No  Non-pitting  Pitting ___+
R post tib  Yes  Doppler  No R foot/ ankle  No  Non-pitting  Pitting ___+

L radial  Yes  Doppler  No L hand/ arm  No  Non-pitting  Pitting ___+

L femoral  Yes  Doppler  No L knee to thigh  No  Non-pitting  Pitting ___+
L pedal  Yes  Doppler  No L ankle to knee  No  Non-pitting  Pitting ___+
L post tib  Yes  Doppler  No L foot/ ankle  No  Non-pitting  Pitting ___+
Sacrum  No  Non-pitting  Pitting ___+

ECG assessment if applicable, see below

Genitourinary Assessment
Genitalia:  WNL  Abnormalities, describe: ______________________________________________________________
Assessment of urination:  WNL  Burning  Frequency  Urgency
 Bladder distention  Pelvic pain/ discomfort  Lower back/ flank pain/ discomfort
Continent:  Yes  Stress incontince with coughing, etc.  Rarely incontinent  Regularly incontinent
Urine amount:  WNL (over 30 mls/ hr, output approximates intake)
 Less than 30 mls/ hr (dehydration? Post-op volume depletion? SIADH?)
 Output greatly exceeds intake (Post-op diuresis? Diabetes insipidus?)

Urine color:  Yellow, WNL  Amber  Orange  Dark amber  Pink  Red tinged  Grossly bloody
Urine characteristics:  Clear, WNL  Cloudy  Sediment  Abnormal odor
Urostomy:  N/A  Urostomy/ ileal conduit  Continence maintaining nipple valve ostomy
Stoma status:  Pink, viable  Red  Deep red  Dusky  Dark  Retracted below skin  S/S of infection
Urinary stents:  N/A  R ureter  L ureter
Urinary catheter:  N/A  Foley, short term  Foley, long term at home
 Suprapubic catheter Insertion site:  WNL  S/S of infection
An Easy Guide to Head to Toe Assessment
© Mary C. Vrtis, Ph.D., RN, 2011 available from [Link]

Gastrointestinal Assessment
Oral mucosa:  Intact  Moist  Dry  Pink  Pale Tongue:  WNL  Pink  White patches
Abdomen:  WNL  Distended  Taut  Ascites  Abdominal incision Abdominal girth (PRN): ____ cm
Abdominal pain, see pain assessment
Bowel movements:  WNL  Constipation  Diarrhea  Bowel program required  Other, __________________
(if diarrhea, assess risk for C. diff or VRE)
Last bowel movement:  Today  Yesterday  Other, ____________________________________________________
Continent:  Yes  Rarely incontinent  Regularly incontinent
Nausea/ vomiting:  No  Yes, describe: ________________________________________________________________
Nutritional intake:  Adequate  Inadequate, address in care planning
Bowel sounds (all four quadrants):
 Active, WNL  Hyperactive
 Hypoactive  Absent (listen for 5 full minutes)

Tubes:  None  Salem sump  Nasoduodenal feeding tube  PEG tube  Jejunostomy (J) tube pH aspirate: ___
Insertion site:  WNL  Pressure areas  Redness  Purulent drainage  Tenderness  Warmth
Tube feeding: Type: ________________ Amount: ____ mls over ____ hours via  Gravity  Pump
 Intermittent  Continuous (keep head of bed elevated to prevent aspiration, check placement – pH should be 0 to 4)
Stoma:  N/A  Colostomy  Ileostomy (Notify the surgeon of all abnormalities observed for new colostomies)
Stoma status:  Pink, viable  Red  Deep red  Dusky  Dark  Retracted below skin  S/S of infection
PEG tube = percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube

Skin Integrity Assessment

Skin color:  WNL  Pale  Jaundice  Dusky  Cyanotic
Skin is:  Intact  No, see below  No, describe: ___________ Braden Scale Score: _______
Signs/ symptoms of inflammation/ infection:  Redness  Tenderness/ pain  Warmth  Swelling
Location(s):
Contusion(s)/ Ecchymosis:  N/A Size: Length _____ cm Width _____ cm Depth _____ cm
Location(s): ____________________ Client’s explanation of bruising: _________________________________________

Wounds
Location Type Size Tunneling Undermining Surrounding Drainage
Tissue
 Abrasion Length ____  None  None  WNL Color/
 Avulsion cm Characteristics:
 Burn  Present at  Present,  Redness  Serous
 Laceration Width ____ cm _____ o’clock, surrounding  Tenderness  Serosanguinous
 Puncture depth ______ tissue is:  Pain  Bloody
 Pressure ulcer, Depth ____ cm cm  Dusky  Warmth  Yellow
Stage _________  Soft  Streaking  Tan
 Stasis ulcer  Boggy  Excoriation  Brown
 Surgical incision, Incision length  Present at  Fluid-full  Bruising  Green
closed, edges are ___________ _____ o’clock,  Other,  Discolored
approximated cm depth ______ describe:  Dusky Purulent?
 Surgical, cm  No  Yes
 open areas _______ # of Wound edges
 total wound staples/  WNL Odor?
dehisence sutures  Hyperkeratotic  No  Yes
 ______________ (circle one)

Is client on a pressure reduction or relief surface:  No  Yes, type: __________________________________________

*Undermining is due to liquefication of necrotic tissue or mechanical forces that sheared and separated underlying tissues.
An Easy Guide to Head to Toe Assessment
© Mary C. Vrtis, Ph.D., RN, 2011 available from [Link]

Pain Assessment
Location of pain: __________________________________ Pain is:  Acute  Chronic  Constant  Intermittent
Pain is affecting:  N/A  Sleep  Activity  Exercises  Relationships  Emotions  Concentration
 Appetite  Other: __________________________________________________________________________________
Description of pain:  Sharp  Stabbing  Throbbing  Shooting  Burning  Electric-shock like
Pain rating on a scale of 0 to 10: ______ Acceptable level of pain for this client: ________
Highest pain level today: _______ Best pain level today: _______ Best pain ever gets: _______
What makes the pain worse?  Activity  Exercises  Other: ______________________________________________
What makes the pain decrease?  Rest/ sleep  Medication  Heat  Cold  Family presence  Music
 Reading  Distraction  Meditation  Guided imagery  Relaxation techniques  Other: _______________
Opiod medication(s): __________________________________________________ Route: _____ Last dose: ____________
Breakthrough medication(s): ___________________________________________ Route: _____ Last dose: ____________
NSAIDS/ Adjuvants: __________________________________________________ Route: _____ Last dose: ____________
PCA:  N/A  Morphine  Dilaudid  Fentanyl via  IV  Epidural, dressing:  D&I  _____________
Continuous dose: ________ / hr Demand dose: _____ every _____ minutes Max doses per hour: _____
(Assess pain every 2 to 4 hours, evaluate the # of attempts vs the # of demand doses received to determine if dose is sufficient)
Does the client have concerns about overusing medications/ addiction?  No  Yes, _____________________________

IV Assessment
Type of line:  Peripheral, site __________  Triple lumen CVL  PICC  Tunneled CVL  Implanted port
(check CXR for catheter tip placement before using all new central venous and PICC lines)
Insertion site:  WNL  Redness  Tenderness/ pain  Warmth  Swelling  Drainage
(IV needs to be DC’d if s/s of infection, thrombophlebitis or pain is present. Change PIV, notify MD of PIV and CVL concerns)
IV fluids:  N/A, heplock  IV fluids: _________________ @ _____ mls/ hr  Continuous  over ___ hrs
 IV pump  Dial-a-flo  Gravity
TPN/ PPN:  N/A  TPN  PPN @ _____ mls/ hr  Continuous  over ____ hrs per ________ pump
Blood sugars:  q 6 hrs  q 8 hrs  other: _______ Blood sugars ranges:  WNL  High with coverage needed
PCA:  N/A  Morphine  Dilaudid  Fentanyl via  IV  Epidural, dressing:  D&I  _____________
Continuous dose: ________ / hr Demand dose: _____ every _____ minutes Max doses per hour: _____
(Assess pain every 2 to 4 hours, evaluate the # of attempts vs the # of demand doses received to determine if dose is sufficient)

Cast/ Extremity Assessment

Hot spots over cast?  No  Yes, describe:
Cast intact:  Yes  No, describe:
Drainage:  None  Yes, describe:

Extremity check
Color:  WNL  Pale
Temperature:  Warm  Cool
Sensation:  WNL  Loss of sensation
Pain increasing?  No  Yes, describe:
Swelling increasing?  No  Yes, describe:

TYPES OF APHASIA:

 Dysarthria – patient has problems with speech due to muscular control.

 Expressive aphasia (Broca’s) – patient understands, can respond w/ great difficulty in short abbreviated, phrases. Aware and
frustrated. Often frontal lobe damage.
 Receptive aphasia (Wernicke’s) – patient cannot understand spoken and sometimes written words, speaks fluently, long sentences
that do not make sense. Patient may not be aware of deficits. Often secondary to L temporal lobe damage.
 Global or mixed aphasia – patient has difficulty in understanding and speaking/ communicating. Often secondary to extensive
damage of the language areas of the brain.

ASSESSMENT FOLLOW UP:

 Notify the physician of all abnormal findings!!

 Use the nursing process to:
o Analyze subjective and objective findings.
o Make a nursing diagnosis.
o Plan and implement appropriate interventions.
o Evaluate the effectiveness of the plan and revise as needed.
An Easy Guide to Head to Toe Assessment
© Mary C. Vrtis, Ph.D., RN, 2011 available from [Link]

Putting it All Together

As you walk into the room assess: As you converse with the patient assess:
* Awake/ alert, asleep? * Orientation to person, place, time
* Skin color * Communication/ speech
* Respiratory effort * Respiratory effort and rhythm
* On/ off O2
* Glasgow coma score
At the head assess: * Pain

* Skin color, temp,

moisture and integrity At the chest/ back assess:
* Incisions and dressings
* Oral mucosa/ tongue * Skin color, temp,
* Skin tenting on forehead moisture and integrity
* Tremors * Incisions and dressings
* Pupils * Breath sounds
* Jugular/ subclavian CVL * Respiratory rate, depth,
* NG/ Nasoduodenal tube rhythm and effort
* Oxygen settings
* Apical pulse
* Apical/ radial deficit
At the upper
* Heart sounds
extremities assess:
* Skin color, temp,
moisture and
integrity At the abdomen
* Incisions and assess:
dressings * Skin color, temp,
* Capillary refill moisture and integrity
* Radial pulses * Incisions and
* Skin tenting on dressings
forearm * Nutritional intake
* Edema * Nausea/ vomiting
* Periph IV/ PICC * Bowel movements
insertion sites * Distention/ ascites
* Tremors * Bowel sounds
* Hand grasps * PEG/ J tube site
* Muscle tone and * Tube feedings
strength * Stomas
* Casts * Continence
* Abdominal/ flank
pain
At the genitalia/ buttocks: * Bladder distention,
* Skin color, temp, s/s of UTI
moisture and integrity * Urine output, color,
* Incisions and dressings characteristics
* Femoral pulses * Urinary catheter
* Sacral edema

At the lower extremities assess:

* Skin color, temp, moisture and integrity * Incisions and dressings
* Pedal and posterior tibial pulses * Capillary refill
* Edema * Tremors
* Muscle tone and strength * Casts

* Notify the Physician of abnormal findings of concern * Implement the nursing process * Analyze the data
* Identify the appropriate nursing diagnoses. * Develop and implement a plan * Evaluate the outcomes
An Easy Guide to Head to Toe Assessment
© Mary C. Vrtis, Ph.D., RN, 2011 available from [Link]

Cardiac Rhythm Assessment by ECG

Sinus rhythm:
 Normal sinus rhythm (NSR) [P wave before every QRS, P-R interval < 0.20, rate is between 60 to 100]
 Sinus tachycardia [rate => 101]  Sinus bradycardia [rate =< 59]
 Sinus arrhythmia [P wave before every QRS, but rate varies with respiration]
Atrial dysrhythmias:
 Atrial fib* [atria of heart is fibrillating, ECG shows wavy line, conduct ion thru A-V node to ventricles is erratic]
 Atrial flutter with __:1 conduction block [atrial rate approx 300, ventricular (heart) rate 150 = 2:1, HR 75 = 4:1]
 Atrial fib/ flutter [atria mixture of flutter and fibrillation]
 Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) [sudden onset, very fast rates, narrow QRS, P wave absent or behind QRST]
A-V Heart Blocks:
 First degree heart block [delayed conduction thru AV node, P-R interval > 0.20]
 Second degree A-V block, Mobitz I**[P-R interval lengthens until a QRS is absent, cyclic pattern with every X beat dropped]
 Second degree A-V block, Mobitz II*** [P-R interval is stable, no QRS after some P waves due to intermittent AV block]
 Third degree A-V block** [no relationship between P waves and QRS complexes due to complete block at AV node]
Paced Rhythms:
 Atrial-ventricular (AV) sequential pacing [spike before the P wave and spike before the QRS] 1:1?  Yes  No
 Ventricular pacing [pacing spike before the QRS only] 1:1?  Yes  No
 Demand pacing [heart rate is higher, pacemaker fires only if there is a delay in spontaneous activity]?  Yes  No
 Automatic internal defibrillator (IAD)?  No  Yes Has client felt it fire?  No  Yes, when _________________
Ectopic Beats:
 Ventricular premature beats (VPB, PVC) [an early, wide QRS, extra beat originating in the ventricle]
 Bigeminy [every other beat is a VPB]  Trigeminy [every 3rd beat is a VPB]  Quadrigeminy [every 4th beat is a VPB]
 Premature atrial beats (PAB, PAC) [an early, narrow QRS, extra beat originating in the atria, P wave shape may be different]
 Premature junctional beats (PJB) [an early, narrow QRS, extra beat originating above the A-V node, no P wave]
Lethal dysrhythmias:
 Ventricular escape rhythm (also called idioventricular) [wide QRS complexes, HR @ ventricular intrinsic rate, 30- 40]
 Ventricular tachycardia [wide QRS, tachycardic rates, minimal cardiac output due to ineffective pumping, cannot sustain life]
 Ventricular fibrillation [erratic line, ventricles are quivering, no pumping action, cardiac output is 0]
*A fib with rapid response (HR > 100) increases myocardial oxygen needs and risk of LV failure is high, also high risk for PE.
**Previously called Wenckebach. ***Mobitz II second degree and third degree block can result in life threatening bradycardia.