ECS Midterm Flashcards
What to know and love
Advocacy
Advocating for the patients being treated and changes in the EMS system that will improve care or save lives
Empathy
identify and understand their feelings
Sympathy
feeling bad for someone else’s misfortune
Protocol
a treatment plan developed for a specific illness or injury
Exercise programs (pg 41)
have been shown to improve sleep, mental capacity, ability to cope with stress, sex life, and overall long-term health: aim to improve or maintiain flexibility, endurance and strength
Calculate Max HR (pg 41)
220 - age
220 - 20 = 200 Max HR
Calculate Target HR (pg 41)
(max HR) x [(0.5) x (0.69)]
ie. 220 - 20 = 200 Max HR
(200) x [(0.5) x (0.69)] = Target HR
200 x 0.5 = 100
200 x 0.69 = 138
100 to 138 = Target HR
Safe lifting techniques
minimize body lifts, coordinate lifts prior to performing, minimize amount of weight being lifted, never lift with back, don’t carry what can be put on wheels, ask for help
Hand washing
wash hands vigorously with soap and water for 20 seconds
Eustress (positive stress) or motivational stress (pg 53)
The kind of stress that motivates a reason to achieve
Distress (negative stress) (pg 53)
The stress that a person finds overwhelming and debilitating
Acute Stress reactions (pg 55)
The ability to handle and increase your focus in that moment or not
Delayed stress reactions (pg 55)
The ability to handle a stressful event but then the effects of stress happen after the event
Cumulative stress reactions (pg55)
the accumulation of smaller stress events that add up. Most commonly known to be negative stress in nature.
What physiologic/psychologic signs and symptoms happen when stress goes unrecognized?
- physiologic reactions may cause heart disease, hypertension, cancer, alcoholism, and depression.
- psychologic reactions may be fear, dull behavior, depression, anger and irritability.
What are reasons for a critical stress debriefing (pg 63)
after acute stress situations
- serious injury or death of fellow worker
- suicide of fellow worker
- MCI
- serious injury or death of child
- intense media attention to an incident
and usually happens after a call with all involved and up to 72 hours after
What are the 4 E’s of prevention? (pg 77-79)
- education - inform about potential dangers and then act to persuade them to change risky behavior
- enforcement - laws and regulations
- engineering/environment (passive interventions) - safety changes in equipment or the environment that help promote positive changes in population without effort
- economic incentives - receiving financial breaks/incentives to reinforce positive change
The Haddon Matrix uses nine components. What are they? (pg 84)
- Pre-event, event and post-event that involves a host, agent and how the two interact with the environment
5 steps to develop a Prevention Program
- Conduct a community assessment - bring groups together to assess what is already being accomplished and establish what resources are available.
- Define the problem - based on data collected, define the problem
- Set goals and objectives general statement about the long-term changes the prevention is designed to make
- Plan and test interventions - Actions taken to accomplish goals; Use the 4 E’s
- Implement and evaluate interventions - results must be measurable
What is informed consent?
A Patient’s volunatary agreement to be treated after being told about the nature of the disease, the risks and benefits of the proposed treatment, alternative treatments, or the choice of no treatment at all
A patient who has the ability to give informed consent is considered to have ___________ __________.
decision-making capacity (pg 109)
Expressed consent is? pg 109
A type of informed consent that occurs when the patient does something, either by telling you or by taking some sort of action, that demonstrates he/she is giving you permission to provide emergency medical care
Implied consent is? pg 109
A form of consent assumed to be given by unconscious adults or by adults whoa re too ill or injured to consent verbally to emergency lifesaving treatment
Involuntary consent is? pg 109
a law enforcement officer or legal guardian grants permission to treat someone who is under arrest, incapacitated, a minor, or for other reasons.
** In these cases, follow the informed consent guidelines, if patient refuses, involve medical control
What’s the Difference between unlawful or unethical?
Unlawful - Not conforming to, permitted by, or recognized by law or rules.
Unethical - not morally correct.
The Difference - ‘Unethical’ defines as something that is morally wrong, whilst something being ‘illegal’ means it is against the law. In an illegal act, the decision-making factor is the law. … An unethical deed may be against morality but not against the law.
a. One of the Major differences between laws and ethics is the laws have sanctions for violations that are enforceable (Pg 96)
The importance of HIPPA would be to ____________?
Protect a patient’s right to privacy
Describe the communication loop and how it is used to communicate effectively. (p 135)
It begins with the
Sender - who formulates words or ideas in message
Message Transmission - verbal, nonverbal, visual, written or electronic
Receiver - decodes message to get the information
Feedback - the confirmation by the receiver that the message was accurately received.
Barriers to effective communication would be?
- Language barriers
- vision or hearing impairment
- Impaired cognition or confusion
- Psychiatric conditions
- Substance abuse
- Preexisting medical conditions
- Lack of the ability to comprehend stress
Advance directive
A written document or oral statement that expresses the wants, needs, and desires of a patient in reference to future medical care; examples include living wills, DNR orders, and organ donation orders
Act of Commission
Performing an act or allowing an individual to perform an act that causes harm. Example: A trainer who asks a client to perform a squat jump, knowing that the client has a knee injury.
Contributory Negligence
For example, a client who recently experienced a lower-back injury fails to inform the trainer when he or she is asked to perform a deadlift. The client, in this scenario, has contributed to his or her own injury and cannot recover any money for injury.
Comparative negligence
Because many states do not use contributory negligence, this is the preferred standard. In this case, the responsibility for the injury is divided between the trainer and the injured client. How much responsibility is awarded to each party depends on the courts’ judgment.
Scope of practice
Describes what a state permits a paramedic practicing under a license or certification to do
When and why to use close-ended questions (Pg 152)
Start with open-ended questions to allow patient to freely give you information and allows you to begin mentation assessment
• “How’re you feeling right now?”
Close-ended questions (Direct questions)
• Meant to elicit a specific answer
• “What year were you born?”
Difference in “Online” and “Off-line” communications (Pg 165)
Off-line • Patient care orders in the form of protocols or standing orders that do not require direct contact with the medical control physician
Online • Patient care orders provided directly to the paramedic by the medical control physician by radio or telephone
False reassurance (Pg 154)
Our job is to be neutral and objective. Assuring someone that he or she will e fine seems like a simple and caring statement, but never make promises you can’t keep
Frequency
The number of cycles (oscillations) per second of a radio signal
Signs and symptoms of cumulative stress include: (p 55)
A. decreased interest in alcohol
B. insomnia or hypersomnia
C. bradycardia and hypotension
D. increased sexual function
insomnia or hypersomnia
Compared to the frontal region of the skull, the occiput is: (p 203)
A. posterior
B. exterior
C. inferior
D. anterior
posterior
The main purpose of continuing education is to: (p 14)
A. recall material that was learned previously
B. facilitate networking of EMS personnel
C. allow EMS personnel to function at a higher level
D. remain current with the latest treatment guidelines
remain current with the latest treatment guidelines
The part of the nervous system that prepares the body to deal with an emergency is the _______ nervous system. (p 55)
sympathetic
A patient is placed in the Fowler position. In this position, the body is: (p 206)
Sitting straight up with the knees bent or straight.
In the anatomical position, all extremities are: (p 203)
A. extended
B. abducted
C. flexed
D. adducted
extended
A patient experiencing a stroke involving the left cerebral hemisphere has contralateral hemiplegia. This means that the patient: (p 204)
A. cannot move any of their extremities
B. cannot move their left side
C. cannot move either upper extremity
D. cannot move their right side
cannot move their right side
The root word cloud/o refers to the: (p 193)
clavicle
What position is generally a position of comfort for patients who do not require spinal immobilization? (p 206)
Semi-fowler
Children are at higher risk for serious injury than adults because of: (p 73)
a proportionately larger head
Movement of the distal point of an extremity toward the trunk is called: (p 203)
Flexion
The most inferior portion of the heart is called the: (p 203)
apex
Which of the following statements regarding the EMS system is correct? (p 11)
A. The paramedic is a public servant who often responds to non-emergency calls
B. The paramedic is usually the public’s first contact with the EMS system
C. The public’s perception of an emergency is often the same as the paramedic’s
D. Dispatch information is usually an accurate depiction of what really happened
The paramedic is a public servant who often responds to non-emergency calls
An imaginary plane passing horizontally through the body at the waist, creating top and bottom portions, is called the: (p 199)
Transverse plane
A formal critical incident stress debriefing (CISD): (p 63)
Is usually coordinated by one or more professional counselors 24-72 hours after an incident that is causing persistent symptoms in personnel.
As an advocate for your patient, you must: (p 18)
Act in the patient’s best interest and remain respectful of his or her wishes and beliefs.
Unrecognized or unrelieved stress: (p 54)
can result in poor physical health
What is the medical term for a woman who has been pregnant eight times? (p 196)
octigravida