Cardiac assessment part 1: Inspection, palpation, percussion

Over the last fifteen years numerous political drivers have paved the way for the development of new and innovative models of practice within cardiac care. Many of these require practitioners to perform detailed and comprehensive patient assessments. Within nursing, respiratory assessment is increasingly regarded as an essential element of the practitioner's profile. However, the assessment of other body systems has been adopted more slowly. This paper argues that cardiac assessment should be routinely incorporated into the practitioner's scope of practice and offers them an opportunity to develop and augment their knowledge and understanding of cardiac assessment. It suggests and introduces a systematic model that may be used in clinical practice.