Clinical Practice

Physical Examination and Clinical Assessment

A systematic head-to-toe physical examination course covering general inspection and vital signs, and the cardiovascular, respiratory, abdominal, neurological, musculoskeletal and skin systems in turn — with particular attention to which findings change management and which are merely reassuring.

4.0 CPD credit hour · 14 modules · 275 minutes · 80% to pass · UGX 25,000

Course aim

To build a reliable, systematic examination sequence and the judgement to interpret what it finds.

What you will be able to do

• Perform a systematic general inspection and accurate vital signs.
• Examine the cardiovascular, respiratory, abdominal, neurological, musculoskeletal and skin systems in a consistent sequence.
• Distinguish examination findings that change management from findings that are reassuring but do not exclude serious disease.
• Preserve dignity and obtain consent throughout an examination.
• Integrate findings across systems, alongside the history, into a single clinical picture.

Syllabus

1. Course Information — What this course covers, who it is for, and how it is assessed (12 min)
2. Learning Outcomes and Pre-Course Self-Assessment — What you should be able to do by the end, and where you stand now (10 min)
3. Introduction to Physical Examination — Principles that apply across every system examined (25 min)
4. General Inspection and Vital Signs — What to assess before any system-specific examination begins (25 min)
5. Examination of the Cardiovascular System — A structured cardiovascular examination and its key findings (25 min)
6. Examination of the Respiratory System — A structured respiratory examination and its key findings (25 min)
7. Examination of the Abdomen — A structured abdominal examination and its key findings (25 min)
8. Neurological Examination — A structured neurological screen and when to examine further (22 min)
9. Examination of the Musculoskeletal System — Assessing joints and limbs systematically (20 min)
10. Examination of the Skin — A structured approach to skin findings and what they suggest (18 min)
11. Integrating Examination Findings — Bringing findings across systems into a single clinical picture (20 min)
12. Clinical Case Studies and Applied Clinical Reasoning — Three examinations, worked through from findings to plan (28 min)
13. Personal Reflection, Action Plan and Course Evaluation — Turning the course into a specific change in your own practice (12 min)
14. References and Further Reading — Where the guidance in this course comes from (8 min)

Who it is for

• Clinical Officers
• Medical Officers
• Dental Officers
• Allied Health Professionals

Competencies

• Systematic physical examination
• Accurate measurement and interpretation of vital signs
• System-by-system clinical examination technique
• Integration of examination and history
• Clinical documentation of examination findings