Patient Assessment Flashcards
What are the components of the patient assessment process?
- Scene Assessment
- Primary Assessment
- Secondary Assessment
- Patient History
- Ongoing Assessment
- Patient hand-off
What are the components of the primary assessment?
- General Impression
- Level of consciousness
- Airway
- Breathing
- Circulation
- EMS Update
Why would you apply manual stabilization to your patient’s head and neck?
Whenever there is a possibility of spinal injury
What are the components of the EMS update?
- Age and gender
- Chief complaint
- Level of consciousness
- Airway and breathing status
- Circulation status
What are 3 basic methods of performing a secondary assessment?
- Inspection (looking)
- Auscultation (listening)
- Palpation (feeling)
What mnemonic helps you recall the conditions to look for in the secondary assessment? and what does each letter stand for?
DOTS D - Deformities O - Open injuries T - Tenderness S - Swelling
On what body part does a tympanic thermometer take a reading?
The ear canal
In which patients is a capillary refill used?
Children under 6 years of age
What is the best reason for using a pulse oximeter?
To identify changes - improvement or deterioration
What mnemonic can help you recall the parts of a patient history? and what does each letter stand for?
SAMPLE S - Signs and symptoms A - Allergies M - Medicine P - Past medical history L - Last oral intake E - Events
What are the components of an ongoing assessment?
- Repeat primary assessment
- Repeat the secondary assessment
- Reassess treatment and interventions
- Calm and reassure the patient
What information should be included in the patient hand-off report?
- Patient age and gender
- Chief complaint
- Level of Consciousness
- Airway status
- Breathing status
- Circulation status
- Secondary Assessment findings
- SAMPLE history
- Treatment and interventions
Identify 3 unique patient groups that require special consideration
- Physical or intellectual disabilities
- Morbidly obese
- Elderly
Why might it be difficult to obtain a medial history from these unique patients?
- Normal mobility may not be possible and mask issues
- Deteriorated intellect - memory issues make getting an accurate history difficult
- bariatric patients may have isolated from society and have hygiene and skin issues and have not seen a doctor
What conditions make using a pulse oximeter inaccurate or valueless?
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Hypothermia
- Shock
- Cardiac arrest
