When percussing a client's abdomen in order to gather assessment data, the nurse must rely most heavily on the ability to:
1. Differentiate between the various elicited sounds.
2. Observe subtle variation in the contour of the abdomen.
3. Supplement the technique with fine finger dexterity.
4. Locate the margins of the various abdominal organs.
Differentiate between the various elicited sounds.
Rationale: Percussing the abdomen will elicit different sounds. The nurse should be able to hear the difference between the sounds. While observation, locating organs, and finger dexterity have a role to play in the abdominal assessment, they do not have as much of an impact on percussion as the ability to hear the difference between normal and abnormal sounds resulting from the technique.
Nursing Process: Assessment
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