Chapter 11

Which of the following questions would be of LEAST pertinence when trying to determine a patient's current health status?

"Are your mother and father still living?"

Which of the following is an example of a leading question?

"Do you think that you are experiencing a cardiac emergency?"

Which of the following questions will yield the LEAST reliable information when assessing a patient with abdominal pain?

"Does the pain radiate to your chest or back?"

Before asking a patient about any mental health issues, the paramedic should:

ask questions relating to his or her physical health.

At 3:00 a.m. you receive a call for a "man down." While en route to the scene, you ask the dispatcher to provide additional information, but the dispatcher advises you the caller was abrupt on the phone and then hung up. You should:

ask the dispatcher if law enforcement is en route to the scene.

When assessing the head and face during the full-body exam, you should:

avoid palpating any cranial depressions.

You will MOST likely develop your field impression of a patient based on the:

chief complaint and patient history.

An unresponsive patient who has been breathing slowly and shallowly for an extended period of time would MOST likely have ________ skin.

cyanotic

Working to ensure a patient's privacy, confidentiality, and comfort level will:

establish positive patient rapport and encourage honest, open communication.

Asymmetry of the face could indicate:

facial nerve palsy.

Paying attention, making eye contact, and repeating key information from the patient's answers are examples of:

facilitation

During a 20-minute transport of a critical patient, you should make a concerted effort to reassess the patient ___ times.

four

When asking questions pertaining to a patient's sexual history, it is important to remember that:

obtaining the history in a private setting is essential.

The mnemonic "OPQRST" is a tool that:

offers an easy-to-remember approach to analyzing a patient's chief complaint.

On most runs, the two MOST important pieces of patient history information that you need to obtain initially are the:

patient's name and cheif complaint

If you suspect that a patient has been abused, it is MOST important that you:

request law enforcement personnel if necessary.

When examining the anterior abdomen of a patient who complains of abdominal pain:

routinely palpate the least painful area(s) first

A patient with dysarthria has:

slurred speech

When assessing any patient, the paramedic should remember that:

some patients with a traumatic injury could also have an underlying medical component.

Which of the following is NOT a part of your overall job as a paramedic?

Definitively diagnosing the patient's problem

Place assessment steps in the correct order: Step 1 => Step 2 => Step 3 => Step 4 => Step 5 => Scene Size-up Primary Survey History Taking Secondary Assessment Reassessment

Step 1 => Scene Size-up, Step 2 => Primary Survey, Step 3 => History Taking, Step 4 => Secondary Assessment, Step 5 => Reassessment

Which of the following statements regarding the patient assessment process is correct?

The assessment process must be organized and systematic, yet flexible enough to allow you to maximize the amount of information you can gather.

Which of the following hazards would you LEAST likely encounter at the scene of a motor vehicle crash?

Unruly patient

Which of the following statements regarding an intoxicated patient is correct?

While the patient is trying to explain things to you, his or her anger can escalate faster than if he or she were not intoxicated.

The history of present illness is defined as:

a chronologic account of the patient's signs and symptoms.

When determining whether a patient is sick, your MOST effective tool is often:

a quick visual assessment.

The MOST reliable means of attempting to determine an unresponsive medical patient's problem is:

a thorough head-to-toe physical examination

Gathering a patient's medical history and performing a secondary assessment should occur:

after life threats have been identified and corrected in the primary assessment

When scoring a patient's deep tendon reflexes, normally active reflexes would be assigned a score of:

2+

Which of the following findings is LEAST indicative of abuse or domestic violence?

A patient who refuses to allow a family member to speak for him or her

Write the correct definitions for the following respiration's : Apnea Bradyapnea Dyspnea Biot respirations Cheyne-Stokes respirations Kussmaul respirations Tachyapnea

Apnea => No breathing Bradypnea => Slowed Breathing Dyspnea => Difficulty Breathing Biot respirations => An irregular breathing pattern, rate, and depth of repiration with intermittent periods of apnea Cheyne-Stokes Respiration => A gradual increase in respiratory rate and depth, followed by a gradual decrease with intermittent periods of apnea. Kussmaul Respirations => A pattern of deep gasping respiration Tachypnea => Rapid breathing

Your entire assessment of a patient should:

Appear to be a seamless process

Which of the following reassessment findings is MOST significant in a patient with penetrating chest trauma?

Blood pressure of 90/76 mm Hg

Which assessment technique usually yields the MOST significant diagnostic information during the abdominal exam?

Palpation

When assessing a patient who is under the influence of alcohol, it is MOST important to remember that:

alcohol can mask any number of signs and symptoms.

Sonorous respirations are MOST likely caused by:

an anatomic airway obstruction

You are in the BEST position to decide what, if any, care needs to be provided at the scene versus en route to the hospital once you:

are able to quantify how sick a patient is.

The paramedic should address a patient:

as the patient wishes to be addressed.

You arrive at the scene of a motor vehicle crash in which a small passenger car struck a bridge pillar. The patient, a conscious young woman, is still seated in her car. The scene is safe and law enforcement is directing traffic. Upon initial contact with the patient, you should:

have your partner manually stabilize her head as you assess her mental status.

It would MOST likely be necessary to ask a patient a direct question if:

he or she is not giving you usable facts about himself or herself.

You would MOST likely encounter bilateral dependent edema in a patient with:

heart failure

If a mechanical means is required to keep a patient's airway open, you should initially:

insert an airway adjunct.

After determining that the scene is safe, the FIRST step in approaching a patient is to:

introduce yourself to the patient

Objective patient information:

is based on fact or observation.

If a patient does not respond to a question within a couple of seconds, he or she:

may be deciding if he or she can trust you enough to answer the question.

The general type of illness a patient is experiencing is called the:

nature of illness

Serial vital signs:

provide comparative data regarding the patient's condition.

An empathetic attitude:

puts you in your patient's shoes

Your patient says, "I can't catch my breath." In response, you state, "That's very helpful. Let me think about that for a moment." This dialogue is an example of:

reflection

More often than not, the paramedic will form his or her general impression of a patient based on:

the initial presentation and chief complaint.

Other than overall patient appearance, the patient's __________ is/are the MOST objective data for determining his or her status.

vital signs

When a patient presents with two seemingly unrelated complaints, it is MOST important for the paramedic to determine:

which complaint has a higher priority.