A nurse is attempting to use non-pharmacological treatment for pain control. Which treatment could the nurse delegate to the UAP?

Inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation are the four techniques used to perform a physical assessment.

Inspection involves observing the patient’s appearance, posture, movement, and behavior. Palpation involves feeling the patient’s skin, organs and pulses with the hands.

Percussion involves tapping the patient’s body with the fingers or a small hammer to elicit sounds or vibrations.

Auscultation involves listening to the patient’s heart, lungs, and bowel sounds with a stethoscope.

Choice A is wrong because relationship and evaluation are not techniques of physical assessment.

Relationship refers to the rapport and trust established between the nurse and the patient.

Evaluation refers to the process of comparing the expected outcomes with the actual outcomes of the nursing interventions.

Choice C is wrong because vital signs, health history, general survey, and height and weight are not techniques of physical assessment.

They are components of a health assessment, which is a broader term that includes physical assessment as well as other aspects of the patient’s health status.

Choice D is wrong because color is not a technique of physical assessment.

Color is an aspect of inspection, which is one of the techniques of physical assessment.

The client should not eat anything before the barium enema, as this could interfere with the visualization of the colon. The client should also take a laxative and an enema the night before the test to clear the bowel of any fecal matter.

Choice B is wrong because the client may need to have laxatives to expel the barium after the test, not before. Barium can cause constipation and impaction if not eliminated promptly.

Choice C is wrong because the client will receive the barium prior to the study by rectum, which is correct. The barium is a contrast agent that helps outline the colon on X-rays.

Choice D is wrong because the client will need to lie down during the study while retaining the barium for X-rays, which is correct. The client may also be asked to change positions to allow different views of the colon.