Medical Examination
Medical Examination - Related Videos
35:03
Mental Status Examination
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2023
Source: Carmen Black, Matthew Goldenberg, and Jaideep Talwalkar; Yale School of Medicine The mental status exam is a clinical evaluation of emotional, perceptual, and cognitive functioning that spans both the fields of psychiatry and neurology. Developing skill in the psychiatric portions of the examination are important to describe salient aspects of the patient's mental state that may be observed during routine history and/or physical exam. Proficiency in the cognitive portions of this...
07:44
Ophthalmoscopic Examination
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2023
Source: Richard Glickman-Simon, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, MA The simplest ophthalmoscopes consist of an aperture to look through, a diopter indicator, and a disc for selecting lenses. The ophthalmoscope is primarily used to examine the fundus, or the inner wall of the posterior eye, which consists of the choroid, retina, fovea, macula, optic disc, and retinal vessels (Figure 1). The spherical eyeball...
20:06
The Comprehensive Infant Examination
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2023
Source: Heather Collette and Jaideep Talwalkar; Yale School of Medicine The newborn exam is important in establishing a baby's baseline health status as they enter the world. Newborn providers have the unique opportunity to evaluate a patient for the very first time. They are also tasked with identifying congenital anomalies that require early intervention to promote a long and healthy life for the child. Many newborn anomalies, such as heart defects, are noted on prenatal ultrasound. However,...
14:18
The 4 M’s Framework: Case History and Physical Examination of Older Adults
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2023
Source: Jennifer A. Ouellet and Jaideep Talwalkar; Yale School of Medicine To meet the needs of older adults, all health professionals should be well acquainted with the history and physical examination considerations unique to this population. Physical examination plays an important role in the older patient to detect physiologic changes of aging, risk factors, and signs of pathology. While most of the general principles of the standard examination for adults apply to older patients, there are...
06:59
A Novel Approach for the Administration of Medications and Fluids in Emergency Scenarios and Settings
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Cited by 5 •
2016
This study presents a novel device that offers an easy route to quickly provide medications and fluids in patients with limited or difficult IV access. This small-diameter device is placed in the distal third of the rectum, allowing for ongoing medication and fluids administration.
FAQs
Standardization makes examination findings more consistent across participants, visits, and study sites. Using a defined approach helps researchers characterize participants in comparable terms, document tumor-related signs systematically, and evaluate changes during a study. Consistent records also support more reliable comparisons between clinical observations, treatment effects, safety findings, and biological data collected for research.
Medical history and risk factors provide context for interpreting current symptoms and examination findings. They help clinicians identify relevant concerns, establish an informed participant profile, and decide whether further investigation may be indicated. In cancer research, these details contribute to participant characterization and help relate observed clinical findings to the broader study record.
Inspection and palpation can document abnormalities or tumor-related signs that may require closer evaluation. These observations do not stand alone; clinicians interpret them alongside symptoms, history, and, when indicated, laboratory or imaging findings. In research, recording physical findings creates a structured clinical reference for assessing participant status and changes over time.
A baseline records a participant’s clinical status before subsequent observations are interpreted. Later examinations can then be compared with that initial record to identify changes, document treatment effects, and support outcome measurement. This longitudinal perspective is especially important when researchers need to distinguish pre-existing findings from developments occurring during the study.
The process begins with collecting medical history, symptoms, and risk factors, followed by physical evaluation through inspection and palpation. When findings or the clinical situation indicate a need for more information, laboratory or imaging tests may be interpreted as part of the assessment. Researchers record these elements systematically to support study decisions and follow-up.
Recorded examination findings help determine whether a participant meets the clinical requirements established for a trial. They can characterize relevant health status and document abnormalities that influence eligibility decisions. The same records also provide a reference for later safety evaluation, allowing investigators to compare findings observed during the study with the participant’s initial assessment.
Repeated assessments allow clinicians and researchers to document whether clinical findings change during treatment or follow-up. Examination results can contribute to outcome measurement and safety evaluation by showing a participant’s status at different time points. Interpreting these findings alongside laboratory or imaging information supports a more complete assessment of treatment-related changes.
Clinical observations provide a patient-level context for biological measurements collected in a study. Correlating examination findings with biological data can help researchers interpret how observable health changes relate to underlying research measurements. This connection strengthens the translation of study results into patient care by linking documented clinical status with evidence generated in the laboratory or clinical investigation.