Secondary Assessment

Table of Contents

Secondary Assessment

Once you’ve checked for life threats, it’s time for a secondary assessment. A thorough physical exam is one half of the secondary assessment. Here’s how to do one.

Look, Ask, Feel

Once you know the current problem isn’t life threatening, you can start gathering info about the injury or illness. You’ll start by looking, asking, and feeling (LAF) for abnormalities in the patient’s body.

  • LOOK for obvious signs of injury such as bruising, swelling, bleeding, or deformity. If possible, expose the site of any injury.
  • ASK what is hurting/bothering the patient the ...

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