Palpation is used to assess which aspects?

• A. Palpation uses external imaging to assess depth
• B. Palpation involves tapping the body to differentiate sounds
• C. Palpation uses a stethoscope to hear heart sounds
• D. Palpation uses the hands to feel surfaces and organs to assess size, location, tenderness, texture, and temperature

Answer: (D)

Palpation is a hands-on, tactile part of the physical examination. By applying gentle pressure with the fingers and hands, you feel surfaces and underlying structures to assess size, exact location, tenderness, texture, and temperature. This helps identify things like enlarged organs, masses, localized tenderness, or abnormal textures that might not be apparent from vision or listening alone. The other techniques described—tapping the body to produce sounds (percussion) and using a stethoscope to hear heart or lung sounds (auscultation)—are different methods. Imaging involves creating pictures of internal structures rather than relying on touch. So, palpation focuses on what the hands can feel: size, location, tenderness, texture, and temperature.