Patient Assessment and Exam

Which of the following should you NOT do?

Accept and operation solely on the original diagnosis

According to Chris Cebollero, what is the best skill you can have as a paramedic?

Assessment skills

Which of the following is a reason that a patient may be frustrated and angry?

He feels misunderstood

When angry patient Tom finally quiets down for a moment but is still refusing your care, what should you try saying?

I can see why you might feel that way.

Taking manual vital signs does all of the following EXCEPT:

Provides a tentative diagnosis

Why is it important to place the stethoscope directly on the patient's skin (chest wall) when listening to their lung sounds?

The assessment will be more accurate.

Why is it important to use an antimicrobial agent on your stethoscope after using it on a patient?

The stethoscope may have MRSA germs on it.

When adjusting the heat in the back of the rig, your primary consideration should be:

The temperature at which the patient will be comfortable

When your patient, Tom, is angry and ranting and will not let you get a word in edgewise, what can you try saying?

Tom, let me see if I understand you correctly.

The police just ran three blocks after a 22 year-old male who was threatening other people. They have him restrained face down with cuffs behind his back and are asking you to transport to the hospital since "drugs" are suspected. What should you do after a quick medical assessment?

Transfer him to the supine position and have the cuffs moved to the front.

If you are calculating the GCS on a patient who struck his head, in order to award points in the eye opening category you may need to:

apply a noxious stimuli

When you are asked to transport a patient who is "under custody" of the police to get medically cleared at the hospital and the patient is handcuffed, what should you consider?

asking for the officer with the handcuff keys to ride along

Which type of physical assessment do EMS providers tend to use as they become more experienced?

focused physical exam

You are assessing a 5 year old who fell while skate boarding at the local park. The parent is present. You should perform a ____________________ exam on this child while your partner helps for head and neck stabilization.

head to toe

If you squeeze the patient's muscle on the right shoulder and they try to grab you with their left hand, this is a demonstration of:

localizing the pain

You are assessing the lung sounds of a patient and you hear a sound like a crackling in the bases of the lungs. This is also called:

rales

When assessing a conscious 22 year old male patient who fell off his motorcycle and is in pain, you should:

systematically do a head to toe exam