Chapter 8: Patient Assessment Flashcards
list the 5 main parts of patient assessment
- scene size up
- primary assessment
- history taking
- secondary assessment
- reassessment
a ______ is subjective, what the patient feels and tells you
symptom
a _______ is objective, it is what you observe about the patient
sign
list the 5 main parts of scene size up
- ensure scene safety
- MOI/NOI
- standard precautions/BSI
- determine the number of patients
- consider additional/specialized resources
_______ is when the skin is unbroken, underlying body systems may be damaged
blunt trauma
_____ is when the force of injury impales the body
penetrating trauma
NOI is for ______
medical patients
standard precautions/BSI should be
equal to the task at hand
determining the number of patients is critical in determining
the need for additional resources
______ is the process of sorting patients based on the severity of each patient’s condition
triage
the goal of primary assessment is to
identify and initiate treatment of the immediate or potential life threats to the patients airway, breathing, circulation
in forming a general impression we use CUPS. what does this stand for
C- critical (cardiac or respiratory arrest)
U - unstable
P - potentially unstable
S - stable
for consciousness level we use AVPU. what does this stand for
A - awake and alert (who, where, time, what happened)
V - responsive to verbal stimuli
P - responsive to painful stimuli
U - unresponsive
GCS looks at _____, _____, _____
eyes, motor, verbal skills
looking at the pupils we use PEARRL. what does this stand for
P - pupils E - equal A - and R - round R - regular size L - react to light
5 main steps in primary assessment
- form a general impression
- level of consciousness
- assess the airway
- assess breathing
- assess circulation
to assess adequacy of breathing we use IAP. what does this stand for
I - inspect
A - ausculate
P - palpate
______ breaths per minute is too fast
24 or more
_____ breaths per minute is too slow
8
the ______ is the time from injury to definitive care
golden period
the ______ is the time it should take to begin transport
the platinum 10
in history taking we obtain SAMPLE. what does this stand for
S - signs and symptoms A - allergies M - medications P - pertinent past medical history L - last oral intake E - events leading up to the injury/illness
to assess pain in history taking we use OPQRSTU. what does this stand for
O - onset (what brought this on)
P - provocation (what makes it better or worse)
Q - quality (tell me what this feels like)
R - region/radiation (show me where)
S - severity (on a scale from one to ten)
T - timing
U - what have YOU done to intervene
the _____ is the force or energy that has resulted in a temporary injury, permanent damage, even death
MOI
what is the significance of stridor
signifies obstruction of the airway
what does DCAP-BTLS stand for
D - deformities C - contusions A - abrasions P - punctures/penetrations B - burns T - tenderness L - lacerations S - swelling
three conditions that may be indicated by low blood pressure
loss of blood or its fluid components, loss of vascular tone, and a cardiac pumping problem
You are working a night shift on an ambulance and arrive on the scene of an assault at a residence. The house is dark and the front screen door has been knocked off its hinges. No law enforcement is on scene yet and the street is quiet. Which of the following is your best course of action
park your ambulance several houses away and wait for police
As you approach the scene of a motor vehicle crash, you observe that the vehicle appears to have struck a telephone pole on a rural road at high speed. The windshield is cracked near the driver’s seat and the hood has been bent up significantly. You have observed the
MOI
The general impression of the patient should be formed
while observing the patient during your approach and initial conversation
During your primary assessment, you observe that the patient can only answer questions in two- to three-word sentences. Based on this finding, you should:
give him oxygen at 15L/min by non-rebreathing mask
Your decision regarding whether the patient is a high priority should be made at which step in the assessment
after the initial assessment is performed
Abnormal skin characteristics such as paleness, coolness, or moistness may indicate
hypoperfusion
The “T” in DCAP-BTLS stands for
tenderness
During your assessment of the patient’s breath sounds, when possible you should auscultate the chest from the patients ____
back
During your physical exam, you find that the patient has good pulse in his feet, but has trouble moving them or feeling your touch. You should
ensure proper spinal mobilization steps have been taken
Following your physical exam for an unstable medical patient, you should begin transport, then repeat the primary assessment and vital signs at least every
5 minutes
______ is used to assess a patients pulse
palpation
Which of the following terms would not be used to describe the pulse quality?
- bounding
- weak
- thready
- irregular
irregular
The skin of a light-skinned individual with adequate perfusion should appear
pink
You should suspect poor peripheral circulation when capillary refill takes longer than ________ seconds
2 seconds
