GASTROINTESTINAL

EXAMINATION SKILLS

Introduction

5 min

Introduce yourself and the group

Provide rationale for the session and relevance to clinical practice

Outline learning objectives:

Describe the structure and components of the abdominal clinical examination
Describe how underlying anatomy and physiological processes of the abdominal system can be assessed clinically
Recognise some common pathological findings on examination of the abdominal system

Explain structure of session

Total time:

90 min

Number of students:

8-12

Grade of students:

2nd year medical students

Created by:

Dr Charlotte Hayden

Uploaded:

27th September 2019

Last updated:

27th September 2019

Resources needed for this session:

Model patient, abdominal model

Resources linked to this session:

Activity 1: Establishing Baseline Knowledge

15 min

Split the group into pairs. Each pair is assigned a component of the abdominal systems examination. On a few post-it notes, ask students to brainstorm clinical signs we are looking for on examination (10 min).

General examination inc. around the bed
Hands, arms, face and neck
Abdomen inc. inspection, palpation, auscultation
Other inc. peripheral signs

Draw an outline of a person on a flipchart and ask students to post the notes on the respective part of the body (5 min).

Activity 2: Demonstration of Examination Technique

10 min

Demonstrate an abdominal system examination in real time. Limit narration of this section as it will cover most of what was discussed in activity 1. Students will have chance to discuss the process in the next activity.

- split into two groups of 4-6 students -

Group 1 starts with Station 1, Group 2 starts with Station 2 before switching.

Station 1: Practice Examination

25 min

In small groups, allow students to individually examine the model patient. Rotate through the group, allocate one student to assess and give feedback.

NB. The model patient is presumed to be an example of a normal examination and not demonstrate any clinical signs.

Station 2: Identifying Pathology

25 min

Activity 1: Pathological signs

Using each image below as a prompt, consider:

What clinical sign does the image show?
What are the differential diagnoses suggested by this sign?
What other signs would we look for to confirm this diagnosis?

Example 1

Example 2

Example 3

Example 4

Example 5

Example 6

Activity 2: Surgical scars

Using the diagram opposite, suggest what organs might have been operated on based on the location of the scar. Note this is a basic level activity only – students should not need to name all the types of incision!