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James T. C. Li, MD, PhD

Arch Intern Med. 1994;154(1):22-24.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

A PHYSICIAN intends to examine the spleen of a patient. She approaches the patient tentatively; her eyes move left, then right. Finally she palpates the right upper quadrant of the patient's abdomen, searching in vain for a spleen tip.

A physician intends to measure the blood pressure of a patient. She unhooks the blood pressure cuff from the wall of the examining room, examining it quizzically. She wraps it around the upper arm of the patient (inside out), perhaps realizing something is not right. The physician pumps up the cuff with the black rubber bulb—the cuff expands like a balloon, ripping apart the hook-and-loop (Velcro) closure. The cuff falls uselessly, half-inflated, by the examining table. Despite several further attempts, the physician is unable to correctly place the cuff on the patient's arm.

Are these fanciful examples of futuristic physicians, well versed in high technology but incompetent in physical examination? No, . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
Department of Internal Medicine Mayo Clinic and Foundation Rochester, MN 55905

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