What is the nurse in charge assess when examining a patient with abdominal pain?

The correct answer to this question is C. The nurse should systematically assess all areas of the abdomen if time and the patient's condition permit, concluding with the symptomatic area. Otherwise. the nurse may elicit pain in the symptomatic area, causing the muscles in other areas to tighten. This would interfere with further assessment.

Because of this, nurses are also encouraged to begin with light pressure, and then move to deep palpation only when necessary to identify the specific area of concern. Percussion could also be used by tapping the body's surfaces and listening to the resulting sounds to identify a possible space of air or solid mass.