Abdominal examination
Examine sensitively and relate the findings to the history and the patient’s condition.
Clinical learning outcomes: Awaiting named clinical review.
What you should learn
- Perform an abdominal examination with consent, while protecting the patient’s dignity and comfort.
- Describe findings and identify when examination should stop for senior review.
Recognise and explain
- A patient’s pain and wishes should shape the examination. Intimate examinations require specific consent and local chaperone arrangements.
On your placement
Agree the activity and supervision with the clinical team. For patient-facing learning, seek permission and respect the patient’s comfort and care needs.
- Practise the MLA examination with a consenting partner before working with a patient.
- Agree an appropriate patient and supervision with the team.
- Ask how the examination changes the differential and choice of investigations.
- Present your findings and ask for feedback on technique and patient comfort.
Start here
Chapter 6: System examination
Read the MLA abdominal examination and how to interpret and present the findings.
Current guidance
GMC intimate examinations and chaperones
Read paragraphs 7–13 on explaining the examination, consent, patient comfort and offering a chaperone. Follow local arrangements with your supervisor.
GMC practical skills and procedures
Check the task-specific graduate expectation and discuss your current supervision with the placement team.
GMC guidance on the quality of clinical placements
Use the placement guidance to agree learning opportunities, supervision and feedback with your team.
Practise
One learner performs. One checks the important steps and gives feedback. Then swap. These are St Emlyn’s practice tools, not official MLA scoring systems.
Abdominal examination paired practice
Practise with a consenting partner, use the observer checklist and swap roles.
On your next shift
Ask a clinician how they combine the abdominal examination with observations, history and reassessment.
How this relates to GMC graduate outcomes and the MLA
These are St Emlyn’s learning connections, not a claim that this page covers every national requirement.
Clinical and professional capabilities: Clinical assessment; Communication; Recognising limits and seeking help.
Practical skills: Abdominal examination.
Suggested placement activities informed by the GMC framework. No new procedure-specific supervision level is assigned here.
Explore the student placement programme
Student practice and graduate expectations
About this resource and its review
A St Emlyn’s guide to learning Emergency Medicine during undergraduate placements. It is not an official medical-school or GMC curriculum. Your medical school’s curriculum and assessment requirements take precedence.
National foundations: GMC Outcomes for Graduates, the practical-skills supplement and the MLA content map applying from September 2026.
Framework checked: 8 October 2026. This is a source check, not clinical sign-off.
Clinical learning outcomes: awaiting named clinical review.
The four learning routes are St Emlyn’s groupings. The six interconnected MLA domains remain part of the official content map.