Book excerpt: Learn how to take a clear, logical, and holistic approach to physical examination and health assessment across the lifespan! Using easy-to-follow language, detailed illustrations, summary checklists, and new learning resources, Physical Examination & Health Assessment, 4th Canadian Edition, is the gold-standard in physical examination textbooks. This new edition reflects today's nursing practice with a greater focus on diverse communities, evidence-informed content throughout, and new and enhanced case studies focusing on critical thinking and clinical judgement. It's easy to see why this text is #1 with Canadian nursing students! - Approximately 150 normal and abnormal examination photos for the nose, mouth, throat, thorax, and pediatric assessment give you a fresh perspective on these key system examinations, with cultural diversity and developmental variations. - Social determinants of health considerations cover the shifting landscape of Canada's populations with strategies for integrating social, economic, and ethnocultural diversity into students' health assessments. - Assessment strategies relevant to Indigenous populations, harm reduction, nutrition, and transgender persons inform practitioners on respectful, complete care. - Sectional colour bars segment body systems according to content — Structure and Function, Subjective Data, Objective Data, Documentation and Critical Thinking, Abnormal Findings. - Documentation and critical thinking sections provide real world clinical examples of specific patients and how to document assessment findings. - Abnormal findings tables help you recognize, sort, and describe abnormalities. - Separate chapter on pregnancy provides a thorough foundation for assessing the pregnant patient. - Developmental Considerations sections highlight content specific to infants, children, adolescents, pregnant individuals, and older adults. - Content covering the electronic health record, charting, and narrative recording provides examples of how to document assessment findings. - Two-column format distinguishes normal findings from abnormal findings and uses full-colour, step-by-step photos to clarify examination techniques and expected findings. - Promoting Health boxes focus on this key aspect of Canadian health care. - Summary checklists offer reviews of key examination steps.