what are physical assessments
6-2. FACTS ABOUT PHYSICAL ASSESSMENT a. Physical assessment is an organized systemic process of collecting objective data based upon a health history and head-to-toe or general systems examination. A physical assessment should be adjusted to the patient, based on his needs. It can be a complete physical assessment, an assessment of a body system, or an assessment of a body part. b. The physical assessment is the first step in the nursing process.