Questions and Answers
What does EMS stand for?
Emergency Medical Services
In 1966, the National Highway Safety Act charged which agency with the development of EMS standards?
Department of Transportation (DOP)
What is the chain of resources in the EMS system?
Patient > citizen calls 911 > 911 dispatcher > first responders > EMT > emergency department staff > allied health staff
Which communication system is able to identify the number and location of the phone from which a caller is calling 911?
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What is the role of Emergency Medical Dispatchers?
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What factors might influence our decision-making skills?
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What is the role of the medical director of an EMS system?
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On-line medical control is when a medical director is contacted via phone or radio to ask for _____ .
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What is the difference between on-line and off-line medical control?
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What role does quality improvement play in EMS?
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What are standard precautions?
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What are the four routes of infection?
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What are the four main infectious diseases of concern to EMTs?
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What is the Ryan White CARE Act?
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What are the three stages of stress?
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What are the types of stress reactions?
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What is acute stress reaction?
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What is delayed stress reaction also known as?
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What is cumulative stress reaction?
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What does CISM stand for and what is its role in EMS?
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What are the 5 emotional stages of death and dying?
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What is the responsibility of EMTs when using the wheeled ambulance stretcher?
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What is a power stretcher?
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What is a bariatric stretcher used for?
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What is a stair chair used for?
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What is a contraindication for use of the stair chair in moving a patient?
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What is the purpose of a short spine board?
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What is a scoop stretcher typically used for?
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What is a flexible stretcher useful for?
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What is a basket stretcher also known as?
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What is the recovery position?
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What does shock position refer to?
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What situations require an emergency move?
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What situations require an urgent move?
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What defines a non-urgent move?
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What are the requirements for patient refusal of care?
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What is a DNR?
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What is the difference between expressed consent and implied consent?
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What is the scope of practice?
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What is standard of care?
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What is the duty to act?
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What must happen to prove negligence?
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Who can a patient's information be shared with without breaching confidentiality?
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What are examples of evidence of a crime scene?
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What is an anatomical position?
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What are the anatomical terms for front and back?
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What are the anatomical terms for above and below?
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Define medial and lateral.
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What position allows vomitus and secretions to drain from the mouth?
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Where does the upper airway begin and end?
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What happens at the alveoli?
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What is the most common airway obstruction due to altered mental status?
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What are maneuvers to open the airway?
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What are the differences in pediatric vs. adult airway?
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What findings indicate airway problems?
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What are the 3 steps in caring for an airway?
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What are the 2 types of airway adjuncts?
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What are the 3 most important rules to suctioning the airway?
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What is the difference between inhalation and exhalation?
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What is tidal volume?
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What is dead space air?
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What is alveolar ventilation?
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What is external respiration?
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Study Notes
Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
- EMS stands for Emergency Medical Services.
- The Department of Transportation (DOP) developed the EMS standards under the National Highway Safety Act of 1966.
- The chain of resources in the EMS system involves the patient, citizen calls 911, 911 dispatcher, first responders, EMT, emergency department staff, and allied health staff.
- Enhanced 911 identifies the caller's number and location when dialing 911.
Emergency Medical Dispatch
- Emergency Medical Dispatchers gather information from those in emergencies and provide pre-arrival assistance.
- Decision-making can be influenced by stress, mental state, personal interests, and biases.
Medical Oversight and Quality Control
- The medical director has ultimate responsibility for patient care in the EMS system.
- On-line medical control involves contacting a medical director for permissions; off-line control consists of standing orders and protocols.
- Quality improvement is an ongoing self-review process aimed at improving system performance.
Infection Control
- Standard precautions involve using equipment and procedures to protect against blood and bodily fluids.
- Four routes of infection: inhalation, ingestion, absorption, injection.
- Four main infectious diseases of concern for EMTs: Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Tuberculosis (TB), HIV/AIDS.
- The Ryan White CARE Act allows EMS providers to determine exposures to infectious diseases through an agency control officer.
Stress Management
- Three stages of stress: alarm (fight or flight), resistance (coping), exhaustion (inability to adapt).
- Types of stress reactions include acute stress reaction, delayed stress reaction (PTSD), and cumulative stress reaction (burnout).
- Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) provides education and resources for preventing and addressing stress.
Patient Handling and Transportation
- EMS equipment includes wheeled ambulance stretchers, power stretchers (hydraulics), bariatric stretchers (obese patients), and stair chairs for moving conscious patients.
- Non-urgent moves involve stable patients without immediate threats; urgent moves are for patients whose conditions are deteriorating, while emergency moves are necessary to address life-threatening conditions.
- Requirements for patient refusal of care include: legal ability to consent, mental competence, full risk disclosure, and signing a release form.
Legal Considerations
- A Do Not Resuscitate order (DNR) is a legal document that communicates a patient's wishes in case they cannot speak.
- Expressed consent involves the patient's verbal approval; implied consent is assumed when a patient is unable to give consent.
- Duty to act requires EMTs to provide care when on duty, ensuring no threat to their safety.
Airway Management
- The anatomical position involves standing erect with palms facing forward.
- Airway begins at the mouth/nose and ends at the glottic opening, with alveoli facilitating gas exchange through diffusion.
- Airway obstructions often stem from poor muscle tone in altered mental states, with opening maneuvers including head-tilt, chin-lift and jaw-thrust.
- Pediatric airways differ from adults: children have smaller mouths, larger tongues, and narrower tracheas.
Ventilation
- Inhalation is active due to diaphragm contraction; exhalation is passive, using diaphragm relaxation. Ventilation refers to both inhaling and exhaling.
- Tidal volume describes the air moved in a single breath, whereas dead space volume pertains to air not reaching the alveoli. Alveolar ventilation refers to air actually reaching the alveoli.
- External respiration involves the gas exchange between alveoli and blood, while internal respiration refers to gas exchange at the cellular level.
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Description
This quiz covers the essentials of Emergency Medical Services (EMS), including the chain of resources, roles involved, and the importance of emergency medical dispatch. It also delves into the medical oversight and quality control aspects of EMS operations. Test your knowledge on the standards set by the Department of Transportation and the critical decision-making processes in emergency situations.