Patient Assessment EMT Exam 1 Flashcards

Study Notes

Scene Size Up

First major step in patient assessment.
Key components: Body Substance Isolation (BSI), determine scene safety, number of patients, medical vs. trauma, additional resources needed.

Primary Assessment

Second major step with eight sub-steps.
Includes general view, stabilization of C Spine, assessment of patient status, level of consciousness (LOC), airway, breathing, circulation, and transport decision.

General Impression

Utilizes the acronym AAMBIRPC for assessment components.

AAMBIRPC Components

A: Age, sex, race
A: Audible breath sounds
M: Mechanism of Injury (MOI) or Nature of Illness (NOI)
B: Body fluids present
I: Imminent life threats
R: Responsiveness
P: Patient's position
C: Skin color

Levels of Patient Response

Four levels: A (alert), V (verbal), P (pain), U (unresponsive).

Circulation Assessment

Three assessments: pulse, body fluids (hemorrhage), and perfusion.

Trauma Assessment Steps

Significant trauma patients: Rapid Trauma Assessment (RPE), baseline vitals, SAMPLE history.
Not significant trauma and unresponsive medical patients: Focused physical exam, vitals, SAMPLE history.

Medical Patients Assessment

Responsive medical patients: SAMPLE and OPQRSTI history, focused physical exam, baseline vitals.

Rapid Physical Exam (RPE) Purpose

To expose the patient and identify life-threatening injuries.

Techniques for RPE

Techniques include IPA (Inspect, Palpate, Auscultation) and DCAP-BTLS (Deformities, Contusions, Abrasions, Penetrations & Punctures, Burns, Tenderness, Lacerations, Swellings).

Components of RPE

Examines head, neck, chest, abdomen, pelvis, extremities, and back.
RPE head considerations: blood/CSF leaks, airway burns, deformities, pupil response.
Neck components: jugular vein distension, stoma, tracheal alignment, medical alert tag.
Chest components: equal chest rise and paradoxical motion.
Abdomen components: assessed using GBREAD (Guarding, Bruising, Rigidity, Evisceration, Aortic Aneurism, Distention).

Extremities and Back Assessment

Extremity assessment includes PMS: Pulse, Motor function, Sensation.
Back assessment focuses on identifying holes and readiness for backboarding.

Reassessment

Fourth major step involves re-evaluating primary assessment, vital signs, focused assessment, interventions, and establishing priorities.

MOI and NOI Definitions

MOI: Mechanism of injury specific to trauma patients.
NOI: Nature of illness specific to medical patients.

History of Present Illness (HPI)

Relates to OPQRSTI components.

Gathering Patient History

Essential for determining medical complaints, including allergies, medications, and past medical history (PMH).

Symptoms vs. Signs

Symptoms: Subjective experiences not observable (e.g., nausea).
Signs: Objective findings observable by others (e.g., vomiting).

Scene Control

Effective scene control requires competence, confidence, and compassion.

Types of Questions in History Taking

Open-ended questions: Encourage descriptive responses.
Closed-ended questions: Elicit yes/no answers.

SAMPLE and OPQRSTI Acronyms

SAMPLE: Signs, Allergies, Medications, Past medical history, Last oral intake, Events leading to illness/injury.
OPQRSTI: Onset, Proactive/palliative factors, Quality, Region/radiation, Severity, Time, Interventions attempted.

Pertinent Negatives

Identifies symptoms not present that influence the differential diagnosis.

Vital Signs Assessment (PRBABESS)

Includes Pulse, Respiration, Breath Sounds, AVPU (Level of Consciousness), Blood Pressure, Pupillary response, Skin perfusion, Pulse Oximetry.

Signs of Airway Obstruction

Indicators include no breathing, snoring, gurgling, and stridor.

Positive Pressure Ventilation (PPV)

Administered when the patient is not breathing by opening the airway and providing PPV with O2.

Respiratory Rates

Bradypnea: slow breathing rate.
Tachypnea: fast breathing rate.

Skin and Appearance Indicators

Cyanosis: bluish tint, often in fingers.
Jaundice: yellow tint in eyes.
Turgor: measures skin elasticity.

Blood Pressure Basics

Systolic (top number): safe if 90 or higher.
Diastolic (bottom number): measures pressure when heart is at rest.

Pulse Oximetry

Measures oxygen saturation in peripheral blood.
Normal range: 95% or greater; below 89% indicates moderate to severe hypoxia.

Blood Glucose and Temperature

Normal blood glucose range: 80 mg/dL - 120 mg/dL.
Core temperature can be measured using oral, rectal, or tympanic methods.

Description

This quiz covers essential concepts for patient assessment in EMT practices, focusing on the major steps involved in scene size-up and primary assessment. Ideal for students preparing for their EMT exams, the flashcards include critical definitions and sub-steps necessary for effective patient evaluation.

Patient Assessment EMT Exam 1 Flashcards

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Questions and Answers

What is the first major step in patient assessment?

What does BSI stand for?

What are the eight sub-steps of the second major step in patient assessment?

What does AAMBIRPC stand for?

What does the acronym SAMPLE stand for?

The purpose of a Rapid Physical Exam is to cover a patient with warm blankets.

Which of the following are components of the RPE?

What are the three separate assessments made in circulation?

The levels of patient response to assessment are A-, V-, P-, U-

Match the terms with their definitions:

Jaundice is characterized by a bluish tint on the fingers.

Which of the following are signs of airway obstruction?

What does PPV stand for?