From the Guidelines
Normal physical examination findings are crucial in establishing a baseline for patients, while abnormal findings can indicate potential health issues, and it is essential to consider the patient's baseline, age, and medical history when interpreting these findings. When conducting a physical exam, healthcare providers should look for expected observations in a healthy individual, such as clear lung sounds, regular heart rhythm, normal blood pressure (around 120/80 mmHg), intact reflexes, and symmetrical strength 1. Abnormal findings might include wheezing or crackles in lungs, irregular heartbeats, significantly elevated blood pressure, diminished reflexes, or asymmetrical weakness.
Some key differences between normal and abnormal physical examination findings include:
- Normal findings: clear lung sounds, regular heart rhythm, normal blood pressure, intact reflexes, and symmetrical strength
- Abnormal findings: wheezing or crackles in lungs, irregular heartbeats, significantly elevated blood pressure, diminished reflexes, or asymmetrical weakness
- Consideration of patient's baseline, age, and medical history when interpreting findings, as what's normal varies between individuals, for example, a heart rate of 55 beats per minute might be abnormal for most people but normal for an athlete 1.
According to the most recent evidence, physical examination should include pulse, blood pressure, temperature, weight and height, and abdominal examination for distension and tenderness, and findings on physical examination depend on the extent and severity of disease 1. Abnormal physical examination findings should be interpreted in clinical context rather than in isolation, and these findings help clinicians determine if further investigation is needed through additional tests or imaging. Understanding the distinction between normal and abnormal findings is fundamental to clinical assessment and allows healthcare providers to detect potential health problems early, when intervention may be most effective, and this ability comes with clinical experience and knowledge of human anatomy and physiology 1.
From the Research
Normal and Abnormal Physical Examination Findings
There are no research papers provided that directly compare normal and abnormal physical examination findings.
Available Research
- The provided studies focus on various topics such as angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors 2, grading the strength of evidence in systematic reviews 3, physical activity and feelings of energy and fatigue 4, hierarchies of evidence for ranking evidence evaluating healthcare interventions 5, and the exclusion of non-RCT evidence in guidelines for chronic diseases 6.
- These studies do not provide information on the differences between normal and abnormal physical examination findings.
- Therefore, it is not possible to provide a comparison of normal and abnormal physical examination findings based on the available research.