During routine patient positioning, a medical assistant must decide whether to place the patient in the prone position. Which of the following clinical scenarios demonstrates the correct and clinically appropriate use of this face-down position?
Before performing abdominal palpation, a patient is asked by a medical assistant to assume a prone position on the exam table.
During an electrocardiogram, a medical assistant positions a patient flat on the abdomen for electrode placement.
A medical assistant prepares a patient for a spinal examination by asking the patient to lie flat on the abdomen with arms parallel to the body and the head turned to the side.
For an otoscopic examination, a medical assistant instructs the patient to lie face-down with the head turned away from the examiner.
In the prone position, the patient lies flat on the abdomen with the head turned to one side. This orientation provides optimal access to the posterior surface of the body, making it ideal for treatments and examinations involving the spine, buttocks, or back. A spinal examination therefore calls for the prone position. In contrast, a standard 12-lead electrocardiogram is performed with the patient supine, otoscopic assessment is usually done with the patient seated or supine to allow visualization of the ear canal, and abdominal palpation is carried out with the patient supine or dorsal recumbent to relax the abdominal musculature.
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Why is the prone position used for a spinal examination?
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