Elbow OSCE Examination Quiz

Focused SBA-style practice, followed by the answer and explanation for every question.

Free now: 7 questions
Full bank: 47 questions
Answers: Explained

Free question

Try one with the answer

A question from this quiz. Answer it to see the explanation students get.

After a focused elbow examination, which statement best describes how to finish off?

Close professionally, summarise the findings, and offer a neurovascular examination of the elbow and hand if the patient reports pins and needles, because nerve injury is otherwise unlikely. Close professionally, summarise the findings, and offer plain radiographs and a full blood count as routine screening, because together these exclude both bony injury and infection. Close professionally, summarise the findings, and examine the shoulder, wrist and hand when the elbow range of movement is asymmetrical, because neighbouring joints can otherwise be assumed normal. Close professionally, summarise the findings, and offer whole-limb neurovascular, adjacent-joint and functional assessment with targeted investigations. Close professionally, summarise the findings, and offer a repeat examination of the elbow in 48 hours before arranging any investigations, because many elbow injuries settle spontaneously.

A Close professionally, summarise the findings, and offer a neurovascular examination of the elbow and hand if the patient reports pins and needles, because nerve injury is otherwise unlikely.
B Close professionally, summarise the findings, and offer plain radiographs and a full blood count as routine screening, because together these exclude both bony injury and infection.
C Close professionally, summarise the findings, and examine the shoulder, wrist and hand when the elbow range of movement is asymmetrical, because neighbouring joints can otherwise be assumed normal.
D Close professionally, summarise the findings, and offer whole-limb neurovascular, adjacent-joint and functional assessment with targeted investigations. ✓
E Close professionally, summarise the findings, and offer a repeat examination of the elbow in 48 hours before arranging any investigations, because many elbow injuries settle spontaneously.

The answer is D: Close professionally, summarise the findings, and offer whole-limb neurovascular, adjacent-joint and functional assessment with targeted investigations.

Explanation

Why D is correct

See Completing the Examination. Option D is correct. A good close to an elbow examination starts in the usual way: thank the patient, wash your hands and give a concise summary of the findings. You then say what else you would check. A neurovascular assessment of the whole limb checks the nerves and blood supply of the arm and hand, which matters because elbow injuries and nerve entrapments can affect the hand. You would also examine the joint above and below (the shoulder, and the wrist and hand), because pain and disease in a neighbouring joint can be referred to the elbow or can accompany it. A functional assessment looks at everyday tasks such as reaching and gripping. Finally, you would suggest investigations that suit the suspected problem, for example plain X-rays, soft-tissue imaging, blood tests or joint aspiration (removing fluid from the joint with a needle), rather than ordering everything.

Close: thank the patient, wash your hands and summarise the findings
Neurovascular check: assess the nerves and blood supply of the whole limb, including the hand
Neighbouring joints and function: examine the joint above and below, and assess everyday tasks such as reaching and gripping
Investigations: suggest only those that suit the suspected problem, not everything

Why the other options are incorrect

A. Close professionally, summarise the findings, and offer a neurovascular examination of the elbow and hand if the patient reports pins and needles, because nerve injury is otherwise unlikely.: Neurovascular assessment is part of completing any limb examination, not only for patients with pins and needles. Nerve injury can be present without paraesthesia, so it should not be omitted.
B. Close professionally, summarise the findings, and offer plain radiographs and a full blood count as routine screening, because together these exclude both bony injury and infection.: Plain radiographs and a full blood count are not routine screening for every elbow problem. Tests should be targeted to the suspected diagnosis, and routine blood tests cannot exclude all bony injury or infection.
C. Close professionally, summarise the findings, and examine the shoulder, wrist and hand when the elbow range of movement is asymmetrical, because neighbouring joints can otherwise be assumed normal.: The joints above and below should be examined as part of the complete assessment, even when elbow range of movement is symmetrical, because neighbouring joints may refer pain or hold additional disease.
E. Close professionally, summarise the findings, and offer a repeat examination of the elbow in 48 hours before arranging any investigations, because many elbow injuries settle spontaneously.: A repeat examination before investigation delays important tests and is not part of the standard close. Investigations should be chosen to suit the suspected problem after the examination is completed.

Easy

With Premium, questions you miss become Revision Coach flashcards, scheduled for review.

Question preview

What you will practise

More questions from this set. Start the quiz to answer them and see each explanation.

1
A right-handed recreational tennis player has gradual pain on the outer side of the elbow after stepping up training. While feeling the elbow, one bony point is especially tender. Which palpation finding best pinpoints the likely overuse injury?
2
A woman in her thirties has elbow discomfort. On general inspection you notice well-demarcated salmon-pink scaly plaques over both extensor elbow surfaces. Which associated condition should this finding most prompt you to consider?

Need wider coverage?

Explore every OSCE topic set, or build a tailored mixed session.

Browse subject quizzes