Examination

Examination should include :

Cardiovascular status heart rate, blood pressure, postural drop or evidence of anaemia

Abdomen examination – look for an abdomen mass,  tenderness or signs of peritonism¹⁹ Pelvic examination – while it is becoming less common to perform a pelvic examination in the ED, this can provide invaluable information²⁰. Vaginal examination will help provide clues about trauma, foreign body, mass, discharge, or cervical motion tenderness¹⁹. Ensure the examination is performed in a private space, with a chaperone present and patient consent.

See this RCEM Learning blog on speculum examination here²⁰.

Learning Bite

A structured history and examination will help rule out emergent diagnoses in the ED.