Chapter 4: Communications & Documentation

Question 1

any radio hardware containing a transmitter and a receiver that is located in a fixed place

Answer 1

base station

Question 2

a low-power portable radio that communicated through an interconnected series of repeater stations called “cells”

Answer 2

cellular telephone

Question 3

an assigned frequency or frequencies that are used to carry voice and/or data communications

Answer 3

channel

Question 4

questions that can be answered in short or single word responses

Answer 4

close-ended questions

Question 5

the transmission of information to another person–verbally or through body language

Answer 5

communication

Question 6

when one person imposes his or her beliefs, values, and practices on another because he or she believe his or her ideals are superior

Answer 6

cultural imposition

Question 7

a special phone line that is used for specific point-to-point communications; also known as a “hot line”

Answer 7

dedicated line

Question 8

the written portion of the EMT’s patient interaction. This becomes part of the patient’s permanent medical record

Answer 8

documentation

Question 9

the ability to transmit and receive simultaneously

Answer 9

duplex

Question 10

When a person considers his or her own cultural values and more important when interacting with people of a different culture

Answer 10

ethnocentrism

Question 11

The federal agency that has jurisdiction over interstate and international telephone and telegraph services and satellite communications, all of which may involve EMS activity

Answer 11

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

Question 12

VHF and UHF channels that the FCC has designated exclusively for EMS use

Answer 12

MED channels

Question 13

Small computer terminals inside ambulances that directly receive data from the dispatch center

Answer 13

Mobile data terminal (MDT)

Question 14

Anything that dampens or obscures the true meaning of a message

Answer 14

noise

Question 15

Questions for which the patient must provide detail to give an answer

Answer 15

open-ended questions

Question 16

The use of a radio signal and a voice or digital message that is transmitted to pagers (“beepers”) or desktop monitor radios

Answer 16

paging

Question 17

The legal document used to record all patient care activities, This report has direct patient care functions but also administrative and quality control functions. PCRs are also known as prehospital care reports.

Answer 17

patient care report (PCR)

Question 18

The study of space between people and its effects on communication

Answer 18

proxemics

Question 19

a trusting relationship that you build with your patient

Answer 19

rapport

Question 20

a special base station radio that receives messages and signals on one frequency and then automatically retransmits them on a second frequency

Answer 20

repeater

Question 21

A radio receiver that searches or “scans” across several frequencies until the message is completed; the process is then repeated.

Answer 21

scanner

Question 22

single-frequency radio; transmissions can occur in either direction but not simultaneously in both; when one party transmits, the other can only receive, and the party that is transmitting is unable to receive.

Answer 22

simplex

Question 23

written documents, signed by the EMS system’s medical director, that outline specific directions, permissions, and sometimes prohibitions regarding patient care; also called protocols

Answer 23

standing orders

Question 24

A process in which electronic signals are converted into coded audible signals; these signals can then be transmitted by radio or telephone to a receiver with a decoder at the hospital

Answer 24

telemetry

Question 25

Verbal and nonverbal communication techniques that encourage patients to express their feelings and to achieve a positive relationship.

Answer 25

therapeutic communication

Question 26

telecommunication systems that allow a computer to maximize utilization of a group of frequencies

Answer 26

trunking

Question 27

Radio frequencies between 300 and 3,000 MHz

Answer 27

UHF (ultra-high frequency)

Question 28

Radio frequencies between 30 and 300 MHz; the VHF spectrum is further divided into “high” and “low” bands.

Answer 28

VHF (very-high frequency)