AES: Patient Assessment - EMR
Which of the following statements is considered a chief complaint?
"I fell and twisted my ankle"
Which of the following is a normal adult breathing rate?
12 to 20 times per minute
What is a normal capillary refill time?
2 seconds
You palpate a patient's pulse and notice that it is irregular. How long should you count the patient's pulse to determine the pulse rate?
60 seconds
What is the normal pulse rate for an adult?
60-100 beats per minute
A patient who is able to identify himself, his location, the time of day and what happened is described as
Alert and Oriented X 4
Which of the following patients should receive a focused physical assessment?
Alert patients who have a minor injury or complaint
You and your partner respond to a three-car, high-speed collision on the expressway involving multiple patients, bleeding, unresponsiveness, and a vehicle on fire. As you arrive at the scene, you are careful to assess the area for safety hazards. What possible hazards might you scan for in this situation?
All of the above Explosive danger Fire danger Unstable vehicles Leaking fuel
Which of the following is a goal of scene size-up?
All of the above Identify possible hazards Identify the number of patients Identify if there is a need for additional support Identify the mechanism of injury or natural of illness
When taking blood pressure, why is it essential to use the correct cuff size?
An incorrect cuff size can cause false readings
What is the first set of vital signs taken called?
Baseline vital signs
How should an EMS professional respond to a life-threat discovered during the primary assessment?
Begin immediate treatment
You are caring for a 7 year old boy who injured his leg. The boy is visibly upset and cries every time you attempt to reassess the injury site. What should you do?
Calmly explain to the patient why you need to look at his leg
The condition of the skin reflects the status of which of the following?
Circulatory system, respiratory system and heart
An adult normal range of 60 to 85 mm Hg is the standard for which blood pressure measurement?
Diastolic
Why are EMS professionals required to take body substance isolation (BSI) precautions?
Emergency scenes involve unexpected contact with debris that could injure an emergency worker
How should normal pupils look when exposed to light?
Equal and constricted
In all patients, what locations should be checked for skin color?
Nail beds, inside of the lower eyelid, and inside of the cheek
During the scene size up, the decision to summon additional support should be based on what?
Number of patients, scene hazards and patients' conditions
During the reassessment, you discover that your patient's airway has become blocked. What should you do?
Open the airway immediately
Which of the following describes normal skin?
Pink
How should breathing be assessed during the primary assessment?
Place your face close to the patient's face and look, listen, and feel for air moving in and out
As an EMS professional, what is your primary focus at a crime scene?
Provide the patient with emergency care
In addition to checking for DCAP-BTLS, what else should be assessed on an adult patient's extremities?
Pulse, motor function, sensation, swelling
Pulse is assessed for which of the following?
Quality and rate
You are caring for a patient with a poor general impression and a complaint of pain in his pelvis. What type of examination should you perform on this patient?
Rapid physical assessment
You respond to a call involving a patient trapped in a vehicle. Which agency should be summoned for additional support?
Rescue and extrication unit
What does the P in AVPU stand for?
Responds to painful stimuli
You pinch a patient's armpit in order to determine the patient's level of consciousness. The patient responds by moving away from the stimulus. How do you describe this patient's level of consciousness?
Responsive to painful stimuli
You and your partner are dispatched to a fall from a tree. You discover a patient has fallen 15 feet when the branch she was standing on broke. How would you characterize the fall?
Significant MOI
Why are the components of the primary assessment rechecked during the reassessment?
The components of the primary assessment reveal a great deal about how a patient is doing
Why are incidents involving multiple types of collisions particularly serious?
The potential for injury is multiplied because of the different types of collisions
Which of the following is an example of a mechanism of injury?
A fall from a ladder
Which of the following statements about a general impression is correct?
A general impression is formed within a few seconds
What is a nature of illness?
A patient's medical problem
Why must EMS professionals look for placards on a commercial vehicle involved in a collision?
A placard will indicate the presence of hazardous materials onboard
Why is the assessment of airway, breathing, and circulation (ABCs) an important part of the primary assessment?
A problem in any of these areas could be life-threatening
You have been dispatched to a home where several roommates are complaining of flu-like symptoms and headaches. What potential hazard should you suspect at this scene?
A toxic substance, such as carbon monoxide
What method should be used to reassess mental status?
AVPU
You are reassessing a patient whose condition continues to deteriorate, despite the intervention first initiated. What should you do?
Adjust the intervention and monitor the patient for changes.
You respond to a middle-aged man with a gunshot wound to his leg. He is able to identify himself, his location, the time of day, and what happened. How would you classify him based one level of consciousness?
Alert
As an EMS professional, what must you do when you first make contact with a patient?
All of the above Introduce yourself Identify the company you represent Explain that you are there to help Obtain patient consent
What should you be alert for when assessing a patient's neck during the rapid physical assessment?
All of the above Jugular vein distention Tracheal tugging Larynx swelling or deformity Subcutaneous emphysema
Toxic substances should be suspected in which of the following situations?
All of the above Leaks and spills Fires Confined spaces Patients with similar symptoms
What does the EMS professional evaluate during the primary assessment?
All of the above Level of consciousness Airway Circulation Breathing
Which patient should receive an ongoing assessment?
All of the above Medical patient Trauma patient Stable patient Unstable patient
Which of the following is a responsibility of the EMS professional on the scene of a call?
All of the above Scene leadership Scene safety Personal safety in the form of BSI Maintaining awareness of the scene
Which of the following factors should be considered when evaluating a fall?
All of the above Surface the patient landed on Area of the body impacted first Interruptions of the fall Distance of the fall
During the primary assessment, you quickly expose a patient to check for major bleeding. You observe a significant puncture wound on the patient's abdomen. What should you do?
Apply direct pressure to the wound with gloved fingers
Which is the correct way to check a pulse?
Apply slight pressure to the pulse site with the fingers
Which of the following methods of evaluation does an EMS professional use during an examination?
Auscultation, inspection, and palpation
Why is blood pressure an important vital sign?
Blood pressure readings reflect the condition of the heart
You are performing a physical exam on an unconscious patient with multi-system trauma. How should you expose this patient?
Completely expose the patient by removing all clothing
During the reassessment, you discover that oxygen therapy is not helping your patient to breathe better. What should you do?
Consider a new or modified intervention
What does the letter C stand for in DCAP-BTLS?
Contusions
You and your partner respond to a call involving a fall of 18 feet. After taking proper safety precautions, you approach the patient. You manually stabilize the patient's cervical spine and open the away using the jaw-thrust maneuver. Meanwhile, your partner determines that the patient is unresponsive. What should be your partner's next move?
Evaluate the patient's breathing
How can EMS professionals assess a patient's perfusion?
Evaluate the patient's skin color and temperature
You are treating a patient who is in stable condition. How frequently should you check this patient's vital signs?
Every 15 minutes
How frequently should the vital signs of an unstable patient be checked?
Every 5 minutes
What is an index of suspicion?
Expectations about a patient's injury based on the mechanism of injury
Which term is used to describe high blood pressure?
Hypertension
Which term is used to describe low blood pressure?
Hypotension
What is the main goal of primary assessment?
Identify potential life threats
You and your partner respond to a collision. You determine that the scene is safe and approach the damaged vehicle to assess the driver. Suddenly, you notice a strong smell of gasoline. You notice a 5-gallon gas container leaking liquid in the back seat. What should you do?
Immediately remove the patient to a safe distance from the vehicle and call for additional support
You and your partner are the single responding unit to a scene involving multiple casualties. You immediately recognize that the situation is more than you and your partner can handle. What should you do?
Immediately request additional support
Your patient is a middle-aged man who is breathing six times per minute. You note a shallow rise and fall of his chest during respirations. How would you describe this patient's breathing?
Inadequate and too slow
Which of the following statements about a rapid physical assessment is most correct?
It is a quick head-to-toe exam
As you approach your patient, she quickly and easily begins explaining how she injured herself. What can you assume about her airway?
It is patent
What does an AVPU check assess?
Level of consciousness
On an adult patient, where should you look for signs of cyanosis, or blue skin color?
Lips and nail beds
How can the quality of a patient's breathing be assessed?
Look for a rise and fall of the chest
What must you do during the reassessment?
Make sure all interventions are working
What are vital signs?
Measurable external signs of what is happening inside the body
During scene size up, calls are typically classified as which of the following?
Medical or trauma
You instruct the patient to squeeze your fingers as part of the rapid physical assessment. What are you assessing on the patient?
Motor function
You are called to a multiple vehicle accident. When you arrive, you discover six vehicles have been involved in the collision. There appear to be many injured people. What type of situation is this?
Multiple-casualty incident
When assessing the abdomen during the rapid physical assessment, which of the following circumstances are you most concerned with?
Organ injury, internal bleeding, and life-threatening wounds
Which of the following methods of examination involves touching with the fingers or hands?
Palpation
When performing a rapid physical assessment of the head, what are you most concerned with?
Possible head injuries and airway obstructions
During the rapid physical assessment, you auscultate the chest for which of the following?
Presence, ease, and equality of breathing
The reassessment repeats all of the components of which assessment?
Primary assessment
You and your partner arrive at 120 Main Street where you find a patient covered in blood. What PPE should you and your partner wear before approaching the patient?
Protective gown, mask, gloves
You are called to a house for "shots fired" and find police already on the scene. What should you do next?
Quickly conduct your own scene size up before entering the scene
What does the V in AVPU stand for?
Responds to verbal stimuli
You approach a patient who appears unconscious and does not respond to your questions. But, when you ask her to wiggle her toes, she is able to do so. How would you describe this patient?
Response to verbal stimuli
You and your partner respond to a call. As you pull up to the scene, you hear loud arguing. Then you hear the sound of gunfire. How should you respond?
Retreat and call for police backup
You arrive at the scene of a vehicle collision. What should be your first course of action?
Scan and evaluate the entire area
When taking a patient's medical history, an EMR is responsible for collecting which of the following information?
Signs, symptoms, chief complaint, and nature of the call
EMS providers assess which of the following pupil characteristics?
Size, equality, and reactivity
Which of the following are assessed as vital signs?
Skin signs, respirations, pulse, pupils, and blood pressure
You assess the capillary refill in a young patient and note that it takes three seconds for the pink color in the compressed area to return. What does this indicate?
The child's circulation is not adequate
What is blood pressure?
The force of blood against the artery walls when the heart contracts and releases
Why is it important to determine the total number of ill or injured patients at a scene?
The number of patients will determine how to proceed with the assessment and whether or not additional support is needed
What kind of information does an EMS provider obtain about a patient's pulse during the primary assessment?
Whether pulse is slow, normal, fast, or irregular
You discover that your adult patient's blood pressure is 150/96 mm Hg. Is this a significant finding?
Yes. It indicates hypertension
