Question

Which observational skills might a healthcare professional employ when examining and observing a patient? Select all that apply.

Use the sense of sight to find reasons for a patient’s concerns.

Use the sense of taste to learn whether the skin is salty.

Use the sense of hearing to listen carefully to what the patient has to say.

Use the inner sense to determine whether the patient has a mental illness.

Use the sense of touch to feel for changes in the body.

Use the sense of smell to detect odors that can be clues to a problem.

Answer 1

Select:
- Use the sense of sight to find reasons for a patient’s concerns.
- Use the sense of hearing to listen carefully to what the patient has to say.
- Use the sense of touch to feel for changes in the body.
- Use the sense of smell to detect odors that can be clues to a problem.

Do not select:
- Use the sense of taste — tasting a patient is inappropriate and unsafe.
- Use the “inner sense” alone — diagnosing mental illness requires structured assessment, not intuition.