Final answer:
The nurse documents the newborn's posture at rest, head size to body ratio, lung sounds, rectal temperature, and Apgar score as part of the general appearance assessment. The Apgar score is a quick assessment of the newborn's transition to the outside world, evaluating five criteria: skin color, heart rate, reflex, muscle tone, and respiration.
Step-by-step explanation:
When assessing the general appearance of a newborn, the nurse will typically document several types of data as part of the assessment. These may include the newborn's posture at rest and the relationship of head size to body, which are part of the overall physical examination. Additionally, lung sounds are assessed to check for clear breathing and absence of respiratory distress. A rectal temperature may be taken to ensure the infant's body temperature is within normal range. Apgar scoring, which involves a quick and painless test using a stethoscope, is administered to evaluate the newborn's transition from the uterus to the outside world and includes assessing appearance (skin color), pulse (heart rate), grimace (reflex), activity (muscle tone), and respiration.