Chapter 4 Flashcards
communication enables EMTs to gather info from the patient/bystanders; makes it possible for yout o coordinate all the .. who are present at a scene; an integral part of … the patient’s care to the nurses and physicians at the hospital
responders; transferring
documentation: defined as the … or … recorded part of the patient’s permanent medical record
demonstrates that … was delivered
ensures … of care
written; electronically; appropriate care; continuity
complete patient records:
guarantee proper … of responsibility
comply with requirements of … and … agencies
fulfill your organizations’ administrative needs
transfer; health departments; law enforcement
radio and telephone communications link you to other members of the …, the …, and … communities
EMS; fire dept; law enforcement
you must know: what your system can and cannot do, how to use the system … and …
efficiently; effectively
therapeutic communication uses various communication techniques and strategies; both verbal and nonverbal, encourages patients to express …, achieves a … relationship with patients
how they feel; positive
Shannon-Weaver communication model: developed to assist in the mathematical theory of communication for Bell Telephone Labs: sender takes a ... encodes it into a .. sends the message to the ... receiver ... the message sends ... to the sender
thought; message; receiver; decodes; feedback
factors and strategies to consider during communication: ..., ... contact ... language ... expression ... ... ... ... ... voice ... ... ...
age; eye; body; facial; clothing; gender; culture; posture; education; tempo; enviro; volume
considering your own cultural values more important than those of others: …
ethnocentrism
forcing your values onto others: …
cultural imposition
…: anything that dampens or obscures true meaning of message
a. Literal noise, sounds in the environment, lighting, distance, or physical obstacles may affect your communication.
noise
… questions require some level of detail in the response
open-ended
…can be answered in very short responses
Closed-ended questions
age, culture, and personal experience shape how a person communicates. body language and eye contact are greatly affected by culture: in some cultures, direct eye contact is ..
in other cultures, it is impolite to look away while speaking
impolite
tone, pace, and volume of language reflect the … of the person and the perceived … of the message
mood; importance
when treating a potentially hostile patient, be aware of your own body language. stay calm and try to defuse the situation
assess the safety of the scene
do not assume an … posture
make good eye contact, but don’t stare
speak calmly, confidently, and slowly
never … the patient, either verbally or physically
aggressive; threaten
cultural norms often dictate the amount of space, or …, between people when communicating
gestures, body movements, and attitude toward the patient are critically important
proximity
as a person gets closer, a greater sense of .. must be established
trust
… is a fundamental aspect of prehospital care
asking questions
closed-ended questions should be used if patients cannot provide … answers and it may miss … issues
long; important
(communication tools)
…: encouraging the patient to talk more to provide more information
facilitation
(communication tools) …: gives the patient space and time to think and respond
silence
(communication tools) …: restating a patient’s statmenet made to you to confirm your understanding
reflection
(communication tools) …: being sensitive to the patient’s feelings and thoughts
empathy
(communication tools) …: asking the patient to explain what he or she meant by an answer
clarification
(communication tools) …: making the patient who is in denial or in a mental state of shock focus on urgent and life-critical issues
confrontation
(communication tools) …: summing up the patient’s complaint to confirm your understandign
interpretation
(communication tools) …: providing factual information to support a conversation
explanation
(communication tools) …: providing the patient with an overview of the conversation and the steps you will be taking
summary
when interviewing a patient, consider using … to show caring and compassion. use consciously and sparingly; avoid touching the …, …, and …
touch; torso; chest; face
interviewing techniques to avoid: providing false ... or reassurance giving ... advice asking ... or ... questions talking too much interrupting using ... questions using ... language speaking in professional jargon
assurance; unsolicited; leading; biased; why; authoritative
you may need to decide if having family and friends nearby will … or … care
help; hinder
(golden rules for communicating with patients)
make and keep … at all times
provide your … and use the patient’s …
tell the patient the …
use language the patient can …
eye contact; name; proper name; truth; understand
(golden rules for communicating with patients) be careful what you say about the patient to others
be aware of your …
speak slowly, clearly, and distinctly
if the patient is hard of hearing, face the patient so he or she can …
allow the patient … to anser/respond
act and speak in a …, … manner
body language; read your lips; time; calm; confident
(communicating with older patients)
identify yourself
present yourself as competent, confident, and caring
do not assume that an older patient is … or …
senile or confused
(communicating with older patients) you may encounter …, …, and some …–> do not assume this is normal behavior
approach an older patient … and …
hostility; irritability; confusion; slowly; calmly
(communicating with older patients) watch for signs of .., … or impaired … or ..
confusion; anxiety; hearing; vision
(communicating with older patients) older patients often do not feel much .. so you must be especially vigilant for … changes
pain; objective
(communicating with older patients) when possible, give patients time to pack a few … before leaving for the hospital. locate …, … and … before departure. older patients are often worried about the safety of their home, valuable items, and pets–> share these concerns with the person assuming care of the patient at the hospital
personal items; hearing aids; glasses; dentures
(communicating with children) emergency situations are frightening. Fear is most … and .. in children. children may be frightened may be frightened by: your …, the …, the … of people gathered around them
obvious; severe; uniform; ambulance; number
(communicating with children) let a child keep a favorite …, …, or …
if possible, have a family member or friend nearby. if practical, let the parent/guardian … the child during evaluation and treatment
toy; doll; security blanket; hold
(communicating with children) be …: children easily see through lies/deception
tell the child … if something will hurt
respect the child’s …
honest; ahead of time; modesty
(communicating with children) speak in a …, … way–> use an appropriate tone and vocab
maintain …
position yourself at the child’s …
professional; friendly; eye contact; level
(communicating with hearing-impaired patients) most have normal … and are not embarrassed by their disability. position yourself so the patient can see …
intelligence; your lips
(communicating with hearing-impaired patients) hearing aids: be careful they are not … during an accident. They may be … if the patient is confused. ask the family about use of a hearing aid
lost; forgotten
(communicating with hearing-impaired patients) steps to take to efficiently communicate with hearing-impaired patients:’
have … and … available
if the patient can read lips, face the patient and speak slowly and distinctly
never …
paper; pen; shout
(communicating with hearing-impaired patients) steps (cont):’
listen …, ask … questions, and give .. answers
learn some simple sign language
carefully; short; short
(communicating with visually impaired patients) ask the patient if he or she can see at all. visually impaired patients are not necessarily …
expect the patient to have normal …
…everything you are doing as you are doing it
completely blind; intelligence; explain
(communicating with visually impaired patients) stay in … contact witht he patient as you begin your care. if the patient can walk to the ambulance, place his/her hand on your …
transport … such as a cane with the patient to the hospital
physical; arm; mobility aids
(communicating with visually impaired patients) guide dogs: easily identified by special …; if possible, transport the dog with the patient as it alleviates … for both the patient and dog. otherwise, arrange … of the dog
harnesses; stress; care
(non English speaking patients) you must find a way to obtain a …
medical history
(non English speaking patients) find out if the patient speaks …
use …, … questions
point to parts of the body
have a family member/friend interpret
some English; short; simple
(non English speaking patients) consider learning some … in another language that is used in your area. pocket cards that show the pronunciation of terms are available. use a smartphone app or website to help you translate
request a … at the hospital
common phrases; translator
(communicating with other health care professionals) give an oral report to a hospital staff member who has at least … of training
your level
(communicating with other health care professionals)
oral report components:
opening info: …, chief …, nature of …, or … of injury
name; complaint; illness; mechanism
(communicating with other health care professionals) oral report components (cont):
detailed information: not provided during … report
any important … that was not already provided
radio; history
(communicating with other health care professionals) oral report components (cont):
patient’s … to … given en route
…
other info, such as details gathere dduring transport, known …, and patient meds you brought with you
response; treatment; vital signs; allergies
patient care report (PCR): also known as …
legal doc
records all care from … to …
prehospital care report; dispatch; hospital arrival
two types of PCRs: .. and …
written; electronic
The PCR serves six functions: ... of care ... documentation ... ... information essential ... record ... and ...
continuity; legal; education; administrative; research; evaluation; continuous quality improvement
information collected on the PCR:
- …
- level of … or … status
- …
- …
- patient …
chief complaint; consciousness; mental; vital signs; initial assessment; demographics
administrative info gathered from a PCR includes the time when: the incident was .. the EMS unit was ... the EMS unit ... at the scene the EMS unit ... the scene the EMS unit arrived at the ... patient care was ...
reported; notified; arrived; left; receiving facility; transferred
ePCRs allow patient info to be transmitted directly to
hospital computers
Elements of the narrative section of PCR: ... of events ... findings ... provided changes in patient ... ... at the scene final patient ... ... of care staff person who ...
time; assessment; emergency medical care; after treatment; observations; disposition; refusal; continued care
narrative section of the PCR includes significant … and scene observations
document … not opinions
avoid radio codes and use only standard abbreviations
remember that the report itself is considered a …
negatives; facts; confidential document
if you leave something out or record it incorrectly, do not try to cover it up. falsification results in poor .. and may result in … and/or legal action
poor patient care; suspension
If you discover an error as you are writing your report, draw a single … through the error, .. it, and write the correct info next to it. don’t try to erase/cover the error
horizontal line; initial it
refusal of care is a common source of …, so thorough documentation is crucial. document any …. and … given. have the patient sign a … form. Have a family member, police officer, or bystander also sign as a …
complete the PCR
lawsuits; assessment findings; emergency medical care; refusal; witness
depending on local reqs, special reporting situations may include: ... wounds ... bites some ... diseases suspected ... or ... abuse ... incident
gunshot; dog; infectious; physical; sexual; multiple-casualty
radio and telephone communications link you and your team with other members of the EMS, fire, and law enforcement communities; help the entire team work together more effectively; provide an important layer of … and …
safety; protection
base station: contains a … and a … in a … place
transmitter; receiver; fixed
two-way radio: consists of a … and a …
transmitter; receiver
mobile radio: installed in a … and is used to communicate with: .., …, ambulances often have more than one
vehicle; dispatcher; medical control
portable radios: … devices
essential at the scene of an …
helpful when away from the ambulance to communicate with: …, another …, …
hand-held; MCI; dispatch; unit; medical control
repeaters: a special … radio
receives messages and signals on …
automatically retransmits them on a …
allows two mobile/portable units that cannot reach other directly to communicate using its greater .. and ..
base station; one frequency; second frequency; power; antenna
digital signals are a part of EMS communications; … allows electronic signals to be converted into coded, audible signals. signals can be transmitted by … or … to al receiver with a decoder at the hospital. data from cardiac monitors can be transmitted via Bluetooth-enabled mobile devices
radio; telephone
EMTs often communicate with receiving facilities by …–> devices are simply low-power portable radios
… phones (…) are another option
cellular telephone; satellite phones; satphones
conversations can be easily overheard on scanners. always be careful to respect … whenefver you use any form of EMS comm system
patient privacy
ambulances usually have an external
public address system
ems systems may use a variety of two-way radio hardware:
simplex is push to …, release to …
duplex is simultaneous …
multiplex utilizes two or more. .., which enables more than one transmission to occur simultaneously
… channels are reserved for EMS use
talk; listen; talk-listen; frequencies; MED
… systems, or 800-MHz, use the latest tech to allow greater traffic
trunking
an interoperable comm system allows all of the agencies involved to share … info in real time
valuable
mobile data terminals inside ambulance:
receive data directly from …
allow for expanded … capabilities, such as maps
dispatch center; communication
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates all radio operations in the United States
Allocates specific radio … Licenses base stations and assign appropriate radio … for them
Establishes licensing standards and operating specifications
Establishes limitations for transmitter output
Monitors radio operations
frequencies; call signs;
the dispatcher receives and determines the relative importance of the … call and assigns appropriate …
911; EMS response units
responsibilities of dispatcher:
properly … and assign … to each call
select and alert appropriate EMS
dispatch and direct EMS response unit to …
… EMS response units with other public saftery servies until incident is over
provide emergency medical instructions to caller
screen; priority; correct location; coordination;
the dispatcher should give the responding units the following info:
nature and … of injury, illness, or incident
exact location of incident
… of patients
responses by other public safety agencies
special directions/ advisories
time when units are dispatched
severity; number
emts should report to dispatcher any .. during response; emts should inform the dispatcher upon arrival
problems
the principal reason for radio comm is to facilitate comm between you and … and the…
medical control; hospital
consulting with med control serves several purposes:
notifies hospital of an …
provides an opportu nity to request … or orders from med control
advises hospital of … situations
incoming patient; advice; special
Nine elements of patient report over radio:
your unit … and level of …
the … and your estimated …
the patient’s .. and …
patient’s … or your perception of the problem and its severity
identification; services; receiving hospital; time of arrival; age; gender; chief complaint
Nine elements of patient report over radio (contd):
a brief … of the patient’s problem
a brief report of physical findings
a brief summary of … given and …
a brief description of patient’s … to treatment
determine if there are any questions
history; care; response; response
in most areas, medical control is provided by the physicians working at the …
many variations have developed
the link to medical control is vital to maintain a high quality of care
receiving hospital
There are a number of ways to control access on ambulance-to-hospital channels:
Dispatcher monitors and assigns appropriate, clear medical control …
… medical emergency dispatch or resource coordination centers
channels; centralized
You may initiate communication with hospitals to advise them of an extraordinary call or situation. Other special situations: ... situations Rescues in progress ... incidents
Hazardous materials; Multiple-casualty
Keep several points in mind: The ..the notification, the better. Provide an estimate of the ...of patients. Identify any special needs. Follow your system’s plan.
earlier; number
Radio equipment must be serviced by properly trained and equipped personnel.
The radio is your lifeline.
To other… agencies (who protect you)
To …
public safety; med control
At the beginning of your shift, check the radio equipment.
Radio equipment may fail during a run.
The …plan must then be followed.
May include …orders
backup; standing
