CH.4 Communication and Documentation

Which of the following statements regarding a patient refusal is MOST correct? A. A mentally competent adult has the legal right to refuse EMS care and transport. B. Advice given to a patient who refuses EMS treatment should not be documented. C. A patient who consumed a few beers will likely be able to refuse EMS treatment. D. Documentation of proposed care is unnecessary if the patient refuses treatment.

A. A mentally competent adult has the legal right to refuse EMS care and transport.

Which of the following statements regarding standing orders is MOST Correct? A. Standing orders should be followed when physician contact is not possible. B. Standing orders have less legal authority than orders given via radio. C. Standing orders require you to contact medical control first.D. Standing orders only highlight the care that you may provide.

A. Standing orders should be followed when physician contact is not possible.

Information included in a radio report to the receiving hospital should include all of the following, EXCEPT: A. a preliminary diagnosis of the patient's problem. B. your perception of the severity of the problem. C. a brief summary of the care you provided. D. a brief history of the patient's current problem.

A. a preliminary diagnosis of the patient's problem.

During your assessment of a 20-year-old man with a severe headache and nausea, you ask him when his headache began, but he does not answer your question immediately. You should: Select one: A. allow him time to think about the question and respond to it. B. repeat your question because he probably did not hear you. C. ask him if he frequently experiences severe headaches and nausea. D. tell him that you cannot help him unless he answers your questions.

A. allow him time to think about the question and respond to it.

A 4-year-old boy had an apparent seizure. He is conscious and calm and is sitting on his mother's lap. His father is sitting in a nearby chair. The child's mother suddenly begins crying uncontrollably, which causes the child to start crying. You should: Select one: A. ask the father to hold the child so you can assess him while your partner tries to calm the mother. B. give the child a favorite toy or blanket to hold onto and perform your assessment to the best of your ability. C. reassure the child's mother that seizures in children are very common and that there is nothing to worry about. D. attempt to calm the child's mother, but avoid separating her from her child because this will increase her anxiety.

A. ask the father to hold the child so you can assess him while your partner tries to calm the mother.

When relaying patient information via radio, communications should be: A. brief and easily understood. B. spoken in a loud voice. C. lengthy and complete. D. coded and scripted.

A. brief and easily understood.

When you are communicating with an older patient, it is important to remember that: Select one: A. most older people think clearly and are capable of answering questions. B. hostility and confusion should be presumed to be due to the patient's age. C. your questions should focus exclusively on the patient's obvious problem. D. speaking loudly and distinctly will ensure that the patient can hear you.

A. most older people think clearly and are capable of answering questions.

As you are wheeling your patient through the emergency department doors, you receive another call for a major motor vehicle crash. You should: Select one: A. respond only after giving a verbal patient report to a nurse or physician. B. leave a copy of the run form with a nurse and then respond to the call. C. place the patient in a high-visibility area and then respond to the call. D. inform the admissions clerk of the situation and then respond at once.

A. respond only after giving a verbal patient report to a nurse or physician.

Effective therapeutic communication skills require _________. Select one: A. verbal and nonverbal communication techniques B. correct use of complex medical terminology C. supervision by advanced life support personnel D. English-speaking patients or family members

A. verbal and nonverbal communication techniques

Which of the following statements is NOT appropriate to document in the narrative section of a PCR? Select one: A. "The patient admits to smoking marijuana earlier in the day." B. "General impression revealed that the patient was intoxicated." C. "After oxygen was administered, the patient's breathing improved." D. "Significant damage was noted to the front end of the vehicle."

B. "General impression revealed that the patient was intoxicated."

You are transporting a 54-year-old male in respiratory arrest. An EMR is driving the ambulance as you and your partner are caring for the patient. Which of the following is the MOST logical way of notifying the hospital? Select one: A. Request that a police officer respond to the hospital to apprise the staff of your arrival. B. Have the driver contact dispatch and relay the patient information to the hospital. C. Wait until you arrive at the hospital and then quickly apprise the staff of the situation. D. Call the receiving hospital with your cell phone while providing patient care.

B. Have the driver contact dispatch and relay the patient information to the hospital.

Which of the following will help improve radio communications? Select one: A. Answer questions with "yes" or "no." B. Wait 1 second after pressing the transmit button before speaking. C. Hold the radio at least 6 inches from your mouth. D. Use codes to speed communication.

B. Wait 1 second after pressing the transmit button before speaking.

When relaying patient information via radio, communications should be: Select one: A. lengthy and complete. B. brief and easily understood. C. spoken in a loud voice. D. coded and scripted.

B. brief and easily understood.

When you begin an oral report, you should state the patient's age, sex, and: A. any known allergies. B. chief complaint. C. the emergency care given. D. past medical history.

B. chief complaint.

During the alert and dispatch phase of EMS communications, the dispatcher's responsibilities include all of the following, EXCEPT: A. screening and assigning a priority to each call based on local protocols. B. discouraging the caller from providing care until the EMS unit arrives. C. selecting and notifying the Correct EMS response units and personnel. D. coordinating responding EMS units with other public safety personnel.

B. discouraging the caller from providing care until the EMS unit arrives.

When providing a patient report via radio, you should protect the patient's privacy by: Select one: A. withholding medical history data. B. not disclosing his or her name. C. refraining from objective statements. D. using coded medical language.

B. not disclosing his or her name.

What type of communications equipment functions as a radio receiver and searches across several frequencies? A. mobile repeater B. duplex station C. simplex station D. scanner

D. scanner

Which of the following statements regarding a "dedicated line" is correct? Select one: A. It is a frequency that is used exclusively by EMTs to communicate with one another in the field. B. It is a designated frequency on a portable radio that provides direct access to medical control. C. It is a constantly open line of communication that cannot be accessed by outside users. D. It is a constantly open line of communication that is under exclusive control of a single user.

C. It is a constantly open line of communication that cannot be accessed by outside users.

Which of the following types of questions allow for the most detailed response? Select one: A. Closed-ended questions B. Yes or no questions C. Open-ended questions D. Multiple questions asked at once

C. Open-ended questions

Medical control gives you an order that seems inappropriate for the patient's condition. After confirming that you heard the physician correctly, you should: Select one: A. state that you will not carry out the order because it is inappropriate. B. carry out the order and then carefully document it on the run form. C. advise the physician that the order is unclear and ask for clarification. D. obtain consent from the patient and then carry out the order as usual.

C. advise the physician that the order is unclear and ask for clarification.

Communicating with patients who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can be facilitated by doing all of the following, EXCEPT: Select one: A. shining a light on your face when you are in a darkened environment. B. placing yourself in a position to ensure that the patient can see your lips. C. elevating the tone of your voice and exaggerating word pronunciation. D. providing pen and paper if the patient prefers to write his or her response.

C. elevating the tone of your voice and exaggerating word pronunciation.

Calming and reassuring an anxious patient can be facilitated by: A. using medical terminology to ensure the patient understands. B. positioning yourself at a level that is higher than the patient. C. maintaining eye contact with the patient whenever possible. D. withholding unpleasant information until arrival at the hospital.

C. maintaining eye contact with the patient whenever possible.

When communicating with an older patient, it is important to remember that: A. speaking loudly and distinctly will ensure that the patient can hear you. B. your questions should focus exclusively on the patient's obvious problem. C. most older people think clearly and are capable of answering questions. D. hostility and confusion should be presumed to be due to the patient's age.

C. most older people think clearly and are capable of answering questions.

After receiving online orders from medical control to perform a patient care intervention, you should: A. ask the physician to repeat the order. B. confirm the order in your own words. C. repeat the order to medical control word for word. D. perform the intervention as ordered.

C. repeat the order to medical control word for word.

You could be sued for ___________ if your radio report to the hospital describes the patient in a manner that injures his or her reputation.Select one: A. negligence B. libel C. slander D. assault

C. slander

Which of the following statements regarding a patient refusal is correct? Select one: A. Advice given to a patient who refuses EMS treatment should not be documented. B. Documentation of proposed care is unnecessary if the patient refuses treatment. C. A patient who consumed a few beers will likely be able to refuse EMS treatment. D. A mentally competent adult has the legal right to refuse EMS care and transport.

D. A mentally competent adult has the legal right to refuse EMS care and transport.

Which of the following incidents does NOT require a report to be filed with local authorities? Select one: A. Gunshot wounds B. Animal bites C. Spousal abuse D. Cardiac arrest

D. Cardiac arrest

You and your partner are attempting to resuscitate a middle-aged female in cardiac arrest. Because of the remote location you are in, you are unable to contact medical control. What should you do? A. Make continuous attempts to contact medical control. B. Perform CPR only and initiate immediate transport. C. Ask the husband if he wants to continue resuscitation. D. Follow locally established protocols or standing orders.

D. Follow locally established protocols or standing orders.

You are transporting a 54-year-old male in cardiac arrest. An EMR is driving the ambulance as you and your partner attempt to resuscitate the patient. What is the MOST logical way of notifying the hospital? A. Call the receiving hospital with your cellular phone as you attempt resuscitation. B. Wait until you arrive at the hospital and then quickly apprise them of the situation. C. Request that a police officer respond to the hospital to apprise them of your arrival. D. Have the driver contact dispatch and relay the patient information to the hospital.

D. Have the driver contact dispatch and relay the patient information to the hospital.

Ethnocentrism is defined as: Select one: A. understanding that people from different cultural backgrounds respond to pain and stress differently. B. suspecting that a person has an ulterior motive based on the tone of his or her voice when answering a question. C. subconsciously forcing your cultural values onto a patient because you feel that your own values are more acceptable. D. considering your own cultural values to be more important when interacting with people of a different culture.

D. considering your own cultural values to be more important when interacting with people of a different culture.

After delivering your patient to the hospital, you sit down to complete the PCR. When documenting the patient's last blood pressure reading, you inadvertently write 120/60 instead of 130/70. To correct this mistake, you should: A. leave the error on your PCR but inform the staff of the patient's actual blood pressure. B. cover the error with Correction fluid and simply write the patient's actual blood pressure over it. C. attempt to erase the error, initial it, and then write the correct data on a separate addendum. D. draw a single horizontal line through the error, initial it, and write the correct data next to it.

D. draw a single horizontal line through the error, initial it, and write the correct data next to it.

You are caring for a 56-year-old male patient complaining of abdominal pain. Your service has recently switched to an electronic PCR system (ePCR). When completing the ePCR, it is important to be aware that: Select one: A. the ePCR is relatively unsecured and should not contain patient-specific information. B. a written patient care record will need to be completed on arrival at the hospital. C. the ePCR does not contain the same level of information as the written version and your verbal report should be expanded. D. the ePCR allows patient information to be transmitted directly to the receiving hospital's computers.

D. the ePCR allows patient information to be transmitted directly to the receiving hospital's computers.

You are providing care to a 61-year-old female complaining of chest pain that is cardiac in origin. Your service utilizes a multiplex communication system. You wish to transmit the patient's electrocardiogram to the hospital. In order to accomplish this, you must: Select one: A. send the electrocardiogram from the back of the ambulance. B. wait until you reach the hospital to transmit the information. C. be aware that only audio or data transmissions can be sent at any one time. D. use the multiplex system to transmit the information .

D. use the multiplex system to transmit the information .