Clinical meaning
HEENT assessment encompasses the systematic evaluation of the head, eyes, ears, nose, and throat -- structures that provide critical sensory input and serve as indicators of both local pathology and systemic disease. The head is assessed for size, shape, symmetry, and the presence of lesions or tenderness. The eyes are evaluated for visual acuity, pupil response (PERRLA -- pupils equal, round, reactive to light, and accommodation), extraocular movements (testing cranial nerves III, IV, VI), and fundoscopic examination (optic disc, retinal vessels). The ears are assessed for hearing acuity (whisper test, Weber and Rinne tuning fork tests to differentiate conductive from sensorineural hearing loss), external ear inspection, and otoscopic examination of the tympanic membrane (normal: pearly gray, translucent, cone of light at 5 o'clock right/7 o'clock left). The nose is inspected for symmetry, patency, and nasal mucosa condition. The throat examination includes inspection of the oral mucosa, dentition, pharynx, and tonsils, and palpation of the lymph nodes (cervical, submandibular, submental, preauricular, postauricular). The practical nurse must be proficient in basic HEENT assessment techniques to identify abnormal findings requiring further evaluation.