Definition

During a physical examination, a health care provider studies a patient's body to determine the presence or absence of physical problems.

A typical physical examination includes:

• Inspection (looking at the body)
• Palpation (feeling the body with hands)
• Auscultation (listening to sounds)
• Percussion (producing sounds)

Reviewer Info: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc. , 02/23/2009