EMT: Ch. 2-3 Quiz

In which of the following situations does a legal duty to act clearly exist?

A call is received 15 minutes prior to shift change.

You are treating a man who was assaulted and has a closed head injury. The patient, who has slurred speech, becomes verbally abusive and tells you to leave him alone. You should:

proceed with treatment and utilize law enforcement for assistance if necessary.

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.

You and your partner are dispatched to a residence for an "ill person." When you arrive, you find that the patient, a 44-year-old man, does not speak English. There are no relatives or bystanders present who can act as an interpreter. You should:

use short, simple questions and point to specific parts of your body to try to determine the source of the patient's complaint.

When communicating information over the radio, you should:

use the words "affirmative" and "negative" instead of "yes" or "no."

Which of the following statements regarding a patient refusal is correct?

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

You are dispatched to the residence of an Asian family for a child with a high fever. When you assess the child, you note that he has numerous red marks on his back. The child's parents explain that these marks represent coining—a traditional Asian healing practice in which hot coins are rubbed on the back. You should:

Document this on your patient care report and advise the emergency department staff of what the child's parents told you.

Medical Control gives you an order that seems inappropriate for the patient's condition. After confirming that you heard the physician correctly, what should you do?

Express your concerns and respectfully question if the order is appropriate.

What type of consent is involved when a 39-year-old mentally competent female with a severe headache asks you to take her to the hospital?

Expressed

You arrive at the scene of a motor vehicle-versus-pedestrian accident. The patient, a 13-year-old male, is unconscious and has multiple injuries. As you are treating the child, a law enforcement officer advises you that the child's parents will be at the scene in approximately 15 minutes. What should you do?

Transport the child immediately and have the parents meet you at the hospital.

Which of the following is an example of an open-ended question?

What did this feel like when it happened before?

You and your partner are out past the end of your scheduled shift and driving the ambulance back to base when you come upon a car accident. Do you have a legal duty to act?

Yes, because you are still an on-duty EMT, you have a legal and ethical obligation to stop and assist.

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:

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

When faced with a situation in which a patient is in cardiac arrest, and a valid living will or DNR order cannot be located, you should:

begin resuscitation at once.

When you begin an oral report, you should state the patient's age, sex, and:

chief complaint.

While transporting a stable patient with chest pain to the hospital, you come across a major motor vehicle crash involving several critically injured patients. You should:

continue transporting your patient and notify the dispatcher of the crash.

The care that an EMT is able to provide is most commonly defined as a:

scope of practice