EMT Chapter 3: Medical, Legal, and Ethical Issues

Which of the following patients has decision-making capacity and can legally refuse emergency medical treatment?

A conscious and alert woman with severe abdominal pain

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.

To minimize the risk of litigation, the EMT should:

provide competent care that meets current standards.

Shortly after you load your patient, a 50-year-old man with abdominal pain, into the ambulance, he tells you that he changed his mind and does not want to go to the hospital. The patient is conscious and alert and has no signs of mental incapacitation. You are suspicious that the man has a significant underlying condition and feel strongly that he should go to the hospital. Which of the following statements regarding this situation is correct?

A mentally competent adult can withdraw his or her consent to treat at any time.

Which of the following scenarios MOST accurately depicts abandonment?

A paramedic transfers care to an EMT.

Which of the following situations requires you to notify the appropriate authorities?

Attempted suicide.

Which of the following MOST accurately defines negligence?

Deviation from the standard of care that may result in further injury.

You suspect that a pregnant 16-year-old girl has a broken leg after she was hit by a car. You explain that you plan to splint her leg, and she agrees to treatment. Which type of consent is her agreement considered?

Expressed.

As an EMT, the performance of your duties will be compared to that of:

another EMT.

A patient regains consciousness en route from his office to the emergency department. The patient tells you that he feels fine and does not want to go to the hospital. Under these circumstances, you should:

assess whether the patient's mental condition is impaired.

When you and your partner arrive at the residence of a man in cardiac arrest, you immediately recognize the patient as the drunk driver who killed your brother several years earlier. A backup ambulance is en route to the scene. You should:

begin two-rescuer CPR and apply the AED as soon as possible.

While transporting a woman with diabetes, you inadvertently give her oral glucose even though her blood glucose level was high. You reassess the patient and note that her condition did not change; she remained stable. You should:

contact medical control and notify them of the error.

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.

In the eyes of the courts, an incomplete or untidy patient care form indicates:

inadequate patient care was administered.

In many states, a minor may be treated as an adult for the purpose of consenting to or refusing medical treatment if the minor:

is self-supporting and lives by him- or herself.

When caring for a 65-year-old male with respiratory distress, you place him in a comfortable position but do not apply oxygen. The patient's condition continues to deteriorate and he develops cardiac arrest and dies at the hospital. This scenario is an example of:

negligence.

You are dispatched to an apartment complex for a shooting. Law enforcement personnel are present and have the suspect in custody. You find the patient lying in a narrow space between the couch and coffee table of his small apartment. He is semiconscious and has a large gunshot wound to his chest. You should:

quickly move the coffee table so you can access and treat the patient.