OEC 5th Flashcards
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Purpose of emergency medical care systems
bring specifically trained personnel and resources to the scene of an emergency shortly after the situation occurs or symptoms become apparent.
Purpose of Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC) technicians
These responders provide emergency assistance and transportation services to patients located in outdoor, nonurban settings typically not served by traditional 9-1-1 providers.
The Four National Recognized Categories of Pre-hospital Providers
emergency medical responder (EMR), emergency medical technician (EMT), advanced emergency medical technician (AEMT), and paramedic.
A network of specially trained personnel, equipment, facilities, and other resources that respond to medical emergencies, regardless of cause, location, or the patient’s ability to pay, is called a(n):
emergency care system.
Care Provided y BLS
interventions, such as assessing clinical status, splinting fractures, administering certain medications, using an automated external defibrillator, performing CPR, and transporting patients to a medical facility
Which of the following choices is an example of indirect medical oversight?
-Telephone communication with a doctor
-Use of written protocols
-Physical presence of a physician
-Video conferencing with a doctor
Use of written protocols
Most emergency care systems deploy personnel to emergencies using a stratified approach based on the patient’s condition or anticipated needs. Which of the following lists presents the normal order of deployment of responders?
EMR, EMT, AEMT, paramedic
Describes the level of training for an OEC technician?
emergency medical responder level, plus additional info for a patroller
Medical guidelines developed at the local level by a medical director, area management, and patrol leadership that include an area’s medical needs, available resources, system capabilities, and local standard of care are examples of:
protocols.
Providing the best patient care possible is a common goal among emergency care personnel. This goal is best achieved by:
implementing a quality improvement program.
Why is it important that OEC technicians participate in quality improvement programs?
To identify problems in care delivery and develop a plan to prevent their recurrence
Base layer
The base layer usually lies tight against the skin, helping to retain heat while allowing moisture to be transferred toward the exterior, a process known as wicking. Ideally, base layers should be made of silk or a synthetic material such as polyester.
Middle layer
The middle layer serves as the insulating layer by trapping warm air. Common insulating materials are fleece, wool, and down.
Outer layer
The outer layer is designed to be water repellant and wind repellant and should provide protection from sharp objects such as sticks or thorns.
Survival—The “Rule of Threes”
Three minutes: you can die if you are severely bleeding, if you are without oxygen, or if you are in icy water for 3 minutes.
Three hours: you may die from exposure within 3 hours without proper shelter.
Three days: you may die within 3 days without a water supply.
Three weeks: you can survive up to 3 weeks without food.
pathogen
An infectious agent that can cause disease or illness.
Direct contact (pathogens)
involves close person-to-person contact. Examples are hepatitis B, HIV, herpes simplex, gonorrhea, and mononucleosis.
Indirect contact (Pathogens)
involves physical contact with an object contaminated with pathogens, including clothing, dressings, towels, soil, and bedding Examples: athlete’s foot
Airborne transmission (pathogens)
occurs from inhaling droplets containing infectious pathogens propelled into the air by coughing or sneezing Examples: the common cold, influenza, meningitis, chicken pox, and tuberculosis.
Ingestion(pathogen)
typically involves consumption of food or water that has been contaminated with feces or other contaminants. two primary scenarios
(1) The person eats food that either was handled by an infected individual, likely because the person did not wash his or her hands after defecating, or was grown in soil contaminated with feces. (2) The person drinks from a water source contaminated with feces. Common diseases that are contracted through ingestion are gastroenteritis or severe diarrhea
Vector-borne transmission
transmission of pathogens to humans by other animals such as ticks and mosquitoes. Examples: Lyme’s Disease & Rocky Mountain Spotted fever
Contamination
occurs once an individual comes in contact with enough organisms to cause symptoms- there is a highly variable incubation period- pathogens multiply until the individual manifests symptoms.
hazardous material
any solid, liquid, or gas that has the potential to cause harm to humans, animals, or the environment, either by itself or through interaction with other factors.
Body substance isolation (BSI)
The practice of isolating all bodily substances (blood, urine, tears, feces, and so on) of patients from rescuers in order to decrease disease transmission.
Personal protective equipment (PPE)
Items worn by medical providers, including gloves, mask, safety eyeglasses (or mask with shield), and gown, to protect them from bodily fluids.
In cold weather, it is important to dress in layers to preserve body heat. Which layer is the insulating layer that traps warm air?
Middle layer
Bites from infected ticks can cause Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. These infectious diseases are said to be caused by:
vector-borne transmission.
An OEC technician does not put on gloves while caring for a bleeding patient who has been injured. Her reasoning for not putting on gloves is she will not touch the blood. You tell her that she should be practicing infection prevention practices, called:
standard precautions.
Your patient is a groundskeeper at your resort. He has sustained burns on his hands as a result of touching a chemical. The chemical would be considered a(n):
hazardous material.
Microorganisms that transmit infectious diseases are called:
pathogens.
Which of the following is an example of PPE that an OEC technician would use to prevent exposure to infectious agents in the patient’s bodily fluids?
Disposable medical gloves and surgical mask
There has been a crime at your resort. Law enforcement has arrived and secured the scene. They indicate that you may enter the scene to provide care to a victim. During your patient assessment, you discover a knife that was used to injure your patient. You begin a careful account for the location of the knife. This accounting is called:
chain of custody.
Role of Section chiefs
constitute the general staff and report directly to the IC.
Incident command post
Site where all command functions are undertaken.
Base (logistics)
Site where logistics functions are coordinated/administered.
Staging areas.
One or more sites where resources are kept until assigned.
Camps(logistics)
Sites where incident personnel may eat, sleep, and rehabilitate
Helibase.
Site from which helicopter operations are conducted
Communications center.
The primary site at which all incident-related communications are coordinated
Rehabilitation center
The site where the physical condition of incident personnel is monitored
Demobilization center.
The site where incident resources are discharged from the incident
Triage
is a process of prioritizing patients for treatment and transportation based on specific criteria, depending on the triage method that is being followed
The incident command system has how many layers?
five functional layers.
The incident command system is used for:
all-hazards management plans.
What color tag should be used for a START patient who has capillary refill greater than 2 seconds?
Red
SALT uses gray tags for patients who:
who are likely to die.
SALTriage uses yellow tags for patients:
with injuries that do not fit in other categories.
lift
a way of moving the patient by raising the person from a lower position to a higher on
drag
a method of pulling a patient on the ground to another location
carry
the act of lifting and moving the patient, usually a short distance.
Shoulder (or clothes) drag
-Bend down on one knee and grab the patient’s clothing at the shoulders.
-Support the patient’s head with both of your forearms.
-Raise your head while moving from kneeling to standing.
-Drag the patient to the desired location.
Feet drag
-Bend down on one knee and grasp the patient’s feet/ankles.
-Raise your head while moving from kneeling to standing.
-Drag the patient to the desired location.
-An alternative method is to pull on a rope or sheet that is tied around the ankles.
-This method should be used only if you cannot get to the patient’s head and shoulders.
Blanket drag
-Move the patient onto a blanket.
-Bend down on one knee and firmly grasp the blanket either with one or both hands.
-Raise your head while moving from kneeling to standing.
-Drag the patient, pulling the blanket to the desired location.
Underarm-wrist drag
-Place the patient in seated position.
-Bend down on one knee, reach under the patient’s armpits, and grasp the wrists.
-Raise your head while moving from kneeling to standing.
-Drag the patient to the desired location.
PACKAGING A PATIENT: 4 Steps
1-The patient is properly positioned on the transport device, usually a toboggan or litter.
2-The patient is made as comfortable as possible.
3-The patient is securely fastened on the transport device.
4-All necessary medical equipment is transported with the patient.
Considerations for Packaging in a Toboggan
-Pregnant women can be loaded on their left side
-Best practice to have patient supine
- Breathing Difficulties Head Uphill
- Head Injury Head Uphill
- All essential equipment stay with patient- i.e. O2 Tank
Body mechanics
The relationship between the body’s anatomic structures and the physical forces associated with lifting, moving, and carrying; the ways the body moves to achieve an action.
When lifting, good body mechanics include:
bending the knees and squatting, keeping your back straight and shoulders over your spine.
A power grip is when you
place your hands, palms up, approximately 10 inches apart.
A direct ground lift is used only when you do not suspect a spinal injury. Performing this lift would include:
-using two to four rescuers.
-the patient lying on his or her back.
-all rescuers kneeling along the same side of the patient.
What moves can be used when there is a suspected spinal injury and spinal motion restriction/protection is necessary?
Draw-sheet/plastic slider/flat transfer lift, logroll
A chair carry is what kind of move?
A nonurgent move
A shoulder drag is what type of move?
An urgent move
A backboard can be used:
for immobilization, carrying a patient over short distances, and as a transport device.
What are the four steps to packaging a patient?
Properly position the patient, make the patient as comfortable as possible, securely fasten the patient, and transport necessary medical equipment with the patient.
Generally, the patient is most comfortable when transported:
with the injury directed uphill.
Which of the following options includes all of the steps to basic helicopter safety?
Do not approach unless signaled to do so, always approach from the front, remain in sight of the pilot, stay low, do not hold anything above your head, and take off your hat and remove any loose clothing.
Artery:
tubular vessel that carries blood from the heart to the lungs and body.
Vein:
tubular vessel that carries blood to the heart.
Respiratory system
Organs and structures that bring air containing oxygen into the body and eliminate carbon dioxide to the environment through the process of breathing, or ventilation.
Cardiovascular system
Organs and structures that circulate blood around the body using the heart, arteries, and veins, delivering oxygen and nutrients to organs and cells. This system carries chemical waste products away from the cells and helps equalize body temperature.
Nervous system
A group of organs and other structures that regulate all body functions. This system collects and processes information, with the brain acting as the central computer of the body, sending and receiving information to and from all organs through a complicated wiring system.
Skeletal system
The bones and other supporting tissues that provide structure to the body, provide attachment points for muscles, protect internal organs, allow movement, store minerals, and constitute the major site where blood cells are made.
