Chapter 15 - Chapter Challenge - Medical Overview

Which of the following best describes a communicable disease?

A disease that can be spread from one person or species to another

What is the general impression of this patient?

The patient needs immediate intervention.

List three routes of infection for hepatitis

Fecal-oral, infected food or drink, sexual contact

What standard precautions should be taken with this patient?

Gloves only

List the eight infectious diseases of concern for EMS personnel.

HIV, hepatitis B, meningitis, tuberculosis, H1N1, MERS-CoV, COVID-19, and Ebola

You are dispatched to a local residence for a 70-year-old man reporting difficulty breathing. On arrival, you find the patient sitting in the living room on home oxygen. As you approach the patient, you notice he appears to be in respiratory distress and is using accessory muscles to help with breathing. He is unable to speak due to his difficulty breathing. His wife informs you that the patient has been ill for the past 2 days with a cough and increasing shortness of breath. He has a past medical history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), hypertension, and diabetes. What is the first step in the assessment process for this patient?

Manage the airway - but scene safety is always first

What mnemonic is used to gather a patient's health information?

SAMPLE

After you assess the ABCs, what should be done for this patient?

Vital signs

A sign of respiratory distress seen in the neck is:

accessory muscle use.

Your primary assessment of an elderly woman reveals that she is conscious and alert, but is experiencing difficulty breathing. She has a history of emphysema, hypertension, and congestive heart failure. As you assess the patient's circulatory status, you should direct your partner to:

administer oxygen with the appropriate device.

Hepatitis B is more virulent than hepatitis C, which means that it:

has a greater ability to produce disease.

In contrast to the assessment of a trauma patient, assessment of a medical patient:

is focused on the nature of illness, the patient's chief complaint, and his or her symptoms.

The secondary assessment of a medical patient:

is not practical if the patient is critically ill or your transport time is short.

Your transport decision should be based on the:

secondary assessment.

An index of suspicion is MOST accurately defined as:

your awareness and concern for potentially serious underlying and unseen injuries or illness.