Abstract
The principal aim of the present study was to obtain basic data about effective physical assessment education among nurses; a questionnaire survey concerning the necessity of acquiring skills in different domains as a nursing student and the frequency of utilization of technology in clinical practice was conducted with nurses who graduated from a nursing college and worked in a hospital. Questionnaires were distributed to 212 persons from one to five years after graduation, and responses were obtained from 55 persons.
The results of the questionnaire revealed that the skills reported by a high proportion of subjects as being "absolutely necessary" as a student were in the domains of "vital signs," and "respiratory sound auscultation," Aspects of current clinical practice that were "used frequently" included "vital signs," "assessment of level of consciousness." and "abdominal sound auscultation." Furthermore, it was shown that that there may be differences between utilization and non-utilization of technology in physical examination.
These findings suggest that it may be necessary to at least acquire skills pertaining to "vital signs," "respiratory sound auscultation," "assessment of level of consciousness." and "abdominal sound auscultation," which are frequently used, as part of physical assessment education.
