the first element in a patient assessment where steps are taken for the purpose of discovering & dealing with any life-threatening problems
Primary Assessment
actions taken to correct or manage and correct a patient's problems
Interventions
assessment of the patient's condition that is formed on first approaching the patient (based on the enviro, chief complaint, & appearance)
General Impression
in emergency medicine, the reason EMS was called - usually in the patient's own words
Chief Complaint
a patient's level of responsiveness
Mental Status
AVPU
Alert, Verbal, Response, Painful Response, & Unresponsive
- classifies a patient's level of responsiveness/mental status
ABCs
Airway, Breathing, & Cirrculation
the decision regarding the need for immediate transport of the patient vs. further assessment & care at the scene
Priority
How will you perform your primary assessment if the patient has signs of life?
Airway, Breathing, Cirrculation (ABC)
How will you perform your primary assessment if the patient appears lifeless and has no pulse?
Cirrculation, Airway, Breathing (CAB)
very severe, life threatening bleeding
Exsanguination
a "feeling" about the patient's condition, derived from environmental observations and a brief first look at the patient by the EMT as he approaches
look test
an indication by a patient that they are experiencing chest pain or discomfort
Levine's sign
a judgement based on experieinces in observing & treating patients
Clinical Judgement
What are the first three things when evaluating circulation?
bleeding, pulse, skin
Part of assessing the ABCs is assessment of the patient's circulation. Take the conscious adult patient's pulse at the:
radial artery
Once your patient's life-threats are under control, you will next:
decide on the patient's transport priority.
Judgment based on experience in observing and treating patients is called:
clinical judgment
A patient whose mental status can be described as "verbal" is able to:
respond to speaking or shouting by opening the eyes
In the primary assessment, what is NOT an acceptable method of assessing the patient's circulatory status?
Taking a blood pressure reading
What is NOT part of the general impression?
The patient's past medical history
What is a normal capillary refill time in a pediatric patient?
2 seconds
Your patient is a 72-year-old female who has "twisted her ankle" coming down some steps. She is alert and complaining of pain in her right ankle, but she jokes about her "clumsiness." Which of the following should you do next?
Ask if the patient has pain anywhere besides her ankle
What is NOT used to assess an adult's circulation?
The patient's capillary refill time
What is the most reliable means of determining whether a patient has any immediately life-threatening conditions?
A systematic approach to assessment
What is an appropriate method for an EMT to use when attempting to gauge a 6-month-old infant's mental status?
Flick the heel of the infant
What BEST defines the immediate sense of the patient's degree of distress, formulated from the patient's immediate environment, appearance, and chief complaint?
General impression