Chapter 3 Practice Questions

Which of the following patients has decision-making capacity and can legally refuse emergency medical treatment?

A conscious and alert woman with severe abdominal pain

Which of the following general statements regarding consent is correct?

A patient can consent to transport but can legally refuse treatment.

Which aspect of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) most affects EMS personnel?

Protecting patient privacy

You are dispatched to the residence of a person who frequently calls 911 for nonemergency care. You should:

ask the dispatcher to send law enforcement before you respond.

For a do not resuscitate (DNR) order to be valid, it must:

clearly state the patient's medical problem.

You are dispatched to an office building for a 49-year-old male with chest pain. When you arrive at the scene, you find the patient to be conscious and alert but in obvious pain. He tells you that he did not call 911; a coworker did. He further states that he does not want to be treated or transported to the hospital. You should:

ensure that he is aware of the risks of refusing medical care.

If an action or procedure that was performed on a patient is not recorded on the written report:

it was not performed, according to the eyes of the law.

The EMT's scope of practice within his or her local response area is defined by the:

medical director.

You are dispatched to a middle school for a 16-year-old female experiencing an asthma attack. She is conscious and alert but in severe respiratory distress. The school nurse informs you that she has tried several times to contact the patient's parents but has not been successful. You should:

provide treatment up to your level of training and transport the child at once.