Patient Assessment Techniques

You are approximately 10 minutes away from the hospital with a 59-year-old female with a possible myocardial infarction when she suddenly loses consciousness. You should:

Unlike the secondary assessment, the ongoing assessment (reassessment) is:

Which of the following statements regarding the secondary assessment is correct?

Which of the following conditions can cause the skin to be abnormally flushed and red?

Trending a critically-injured patient's vital signs will allow you to determine:

You are dispatched to a shopping mall for a female patient who is "sick." When you arrive, you find the patient, who appears confused, sitting on a bench in the middle of the mall. There is a small amount of blood in her hair. As you introduce yourself to the patient, you should direct your partner to:

You are dispatched to mile marker 539 for a vehicle that slid off the road and into the median. When you arrive at the scene, you note minimal damage to the vehicle. The patient, who is still inside his vehicle, appears to be unconscious. Which of the following statements regarding this situation is correct?

When auscultating the breath sounds of a patient with respiratory distress, you hear a high-pitched whistling sound during expiration. This suggests:

When assessing a patient's abdomen, which of the following techniques will provide you with the LEAST amount of information?

A 40-year-old female complains of a sudden onset of chest pressure. When assessing the history of her present illness, which of the following patient responses would identify a palliating factor?

When reassessing a patient during transport, you should:

You are extricating a conscious and alert 22-year-old female from her car after she struck the rear end of another car while traveling at 40 mph. She complains only of neck pain and has no visible trauma. Her airbag deployed, but she was not wearing a seatbelt. You should:

You are attempting to obtain medical history information from a 20-year-old female. However, she does not answer your questions, despite the fact that she is conscious and alert and speaks English. You should:

Which of the following injuries or conditions would have the LOWEST treatment priority during the primary assessment?

A 20-year-old male twisted his ankle while playing basketball. He is conscious and alert, is breathing adequately, and denies other trauma. After performing the primary assessment, you should:

An older man complains of chest pain. He is conscious and alert and denies any other symptoms. Your focused assessment of this patient should include:

Determining the mechanism of injury will contribute to your decision of whether you should:

During transport of a 34-year-old male with a possible femur fracture, you perform a reassessment. This process begins with:

During your secondary assessment of a 70-year-old male with congestive heart failure, you note the presence of 4+ pitting edema to his lower extremities. This means that:

In general, you should assess the blood pressure in all patients who are at least ____ years of age.

Which of the following situations would MOST likely require additional personnel or resources at the scene?

The need to perform a detailed physical exam on a patient is based on:

You are the first unit to arrive at the scene of a crash involving a minivan and a small passenger car. You see two patients in the minivan, one who appears to be unconscious and the other with severe bleeding from the face. A third patient is sitting on a curb holding his arm. Your initial action should be to:

Loud, high-pitched and hollow sounds auscultated over the manubrium are called:

Indicators to the patient that you are actively listening to him or her include:

A 30-year-old male presents with signs of shock. He is conscious but anxious, and is in no obvious respiratory distress. After applying oxygen, you attach a pulse oximeter, which reads 78%. This low oxygen saturation reading is MOST likely the result of:

Which of the following skin findings suggest liver dysfunction?

A 56-year-old female called EMS because of shortness of breath. During your assessment, she tells you that this began four days ago. Which of the following questions would be MOST appropriate to ask her regarding the duration of her chief complaint?

When arriving at the scene of a motor-vehicle crash, you should park your ambulance in an area that is:

You are transporting a critically-injured patient to a trauma center located 45 minutes away from the scene. At a minimum, how many times should you reassess the patient's vital signs during transport?

You are assessing the quality of a trauma patient's respirations. Which of the following clinical findings would indicate labored breathing?

Assessment of a patient's pelvis is appropriately performed by:

Based solely on the mechanism of injury, which of the following adult patients is at greatest risk for serious injuries?

A responsive 40-year-old male complains of chest pain. He is able to speak to you in complete sentences and has no obvious respiratory difficulty. From this information, you can conclude that:

A 59-year-old male presents with right upper quadrant abdominal pain. Upon assessment, you note that his abdomen has an asymmetrical appearance. As you palpate the area, his jugular veins become slightly distended. These clinical findings are MOST suggestive of:

A young male is found to be unconscious. When assessing his pupils, you note that they dilate when exposed to bright light. This clinical finding is MOST suggestive of:

The formulation of an appropriate treatment plan is ultimately based on the:

Compared to the patient's chief complaint, the primary problem is:

Your rapid assessment (rapid body scan) of an injured patient reveals pelvic deformity and a rigid, distended abdomen. After applying high-flow oxygen and immobilizing the patient's spine, you should:

The finer and somewhat fainter breath sounds noted in the lateral wall of the chest are known as:

You are dispatched to an apartment complex, where a tenant was found unconscious by the landlord. There is no evidence of trauma. After completing the primary assessment and addressing immediate life-threats, you should:

During your reassessment of a patient with an illness or injury, it is important to:

Following the primary assessment, the MOST appropriate order to proceed when treating a responsive medical patient is:

A restrained 19-year-old male was involved in a rollover motor-vehicle crash. With the exception of a small laceration to his forehead, he appears stable. When reconsidering the mechanism of injury, you should:

The general impression of your patient will allow you to obtain all of the following information EXCEPT for the:

Law enforcement requests your assistance at a local nightclub for a patient who was assaulted. Upon arrival, an officer escorts you to the patient, a 21-year-old male, who is bleeding severely from a lacerated brachial artery. The patient is conscious and is screaming in pain. You should immediately:

When energy impacts a body structure it:

When is it appropriate to palpate a trauma patient's pelvis?

You are approximately 10 minutes away from the hospital with a 59-year-old female with a possible myocardial infarction when she suddenly loses consciousness. You should:

Unlike the secondary assessment, the ongoing assessment (reassessment) is:

Which of the following statements regarding the secondary assessment is correct?

Which of the following conditions can cause the skin to be abnormally flushed and red?

Trending a critically-injured patient's vital signs will allow you to determine:

You are dispatched to a shopping mall for a female patient who is "sick." When you arrive, you find the patient, who appears confused, sitting on a bench in the middle of the mall. There is a small amount of blood in her hair. As you introduce yourself to the patient, you should direct your partner to:

You are dispatched to mile marker 539 for a vehicle that slid off the road and into the median. When you arrive at the scene, you note minimal damage to the vehicle. The patient, who is still inside his vehicle, appears to be unconscious. Which of the following statements regarding this situation is correct?

When auscultating the breath sounds of a patient with respiratory distress, you hear a high-pitched whistling sound during expiration. This suggests:

When assessing a patient's abdomen, which of the following techniques will provide you with the LEAST amount of information?

You are dispatched to a shopping mall for a female patient who is "sick." When you arrive, you find the patient, who appears confused, sitting on a bench in the middle of the mall. There is a small amount of blood in her hair. As you introduce yourself to the patient, you should direct your partner to:

When reassessing a patient during transport, you should:

You are extricating a conscious and alert 22-year-old female from her car after she struck the rear end of another car while traveling at 40 mph. She complains only of neck pain and has no visible trauma. Her airbag deployed, but she was not wearing a seatbelt. You should:

You are attempting to obtain medical history information from a 20-year-old female. However, she does not answer your questions, despite the fact that she is conscious and alert and speaks English. You should:

Which of the following injuries or conditions would have the LOWEST treatment priority during the primary assessment?

A 20-year-old male twisted his ankle while playing basketball. He is conscious and alert, is breathing adequately, and denies other trauma. After performing the primary assessment, you should:

An older man complains of chest pain. He is conscious and alert and denies any other symptoms. Your focused assessment of this patient should include:

Determining the mechanism of injury will contribute your decision of whether you should:

During transport of a 34-year-old male with a possible femur fracture, you perform a reassessment. This process begins with:

During your secondary assessment of a 70-year-old male with congestive heart failure, you note the presence of 4+ pitting edema to his lower extremities. This means that:

In general, you should assess the blood pressure in all patients who are at least ____ years of age.

Which of the following situations would MOST likely require additional personnel or resources at the scene?

The need to perform a detailed physical exam on a patient is based on:

You are the first unit to arrive at the scene of a crash involving a minivan and a small passenger car. You see two patients in the minivan, one who appears to be unconscious and the other with severe bleeding from the face. A third patient is sitting on a curb holding his arm. Your initial action should be to:

Loud, high-pitched and hollow sounds auscultated over the manubrium are called:

Indicators to the patient that you are actively listening to him or her include:

A 30-year-old male presents with signs of shock. He is conscious but anxious, and is in no obvious respiratory distress. After applying oxygen, you attach a pulse oximeter, which reads 78%. This low oxygen saturation reading is MOST likely the result of:

Which of the following skin findings suggest liver dysfunction?

A 56-year-old female called EMS because of shortness of breath. During your assessment, she tells you that this began four days ago. Which of the following questions would be MOST appropriate to ask her regarding the duration of her chief complaint?

When arriving at the scene of a motor-vehicle crash, you should park your ambulance in an area that is:

You are transporting a critically-injured patient to a trauma center located 45 minutes away from the scene. At a minimum, how many times should you reassess the patient's vital signs during transport?

You are assessing the quality of a trauma patient's respirations. Which of the following clinical findings would indicate labored breathing?

Assessment of a patient's pelvis is appropriately performed by:

Based solely on the mechanism of injury, which of the following adult patients is at greatest risk for serious injuries?

A responsive 40-year-old male complains of chest pain. He is able to speak to you in complete sentences and has no obvious respiratory difficulty. From this information, you can conclude that:

A 59-year-old male presents with right upper quadrant abdominal pain. Upon assessment, you note that his abdomen has an asymmetrical appearance. As you palpate the area, his jugular veins become slightly distended. These clinical findings are MOST suggestive of:

A young male is found to be unconscious. When assessing his pupils, you note that they dilate when exposed to bright light. This clinical finding is MOST suggestive of:

The formulation of an appropriate treatment plan is ultimately based on the:

Compared to the patient's chief complaint, the primary problem is:

Your rapid assessment (rapid body scan) of an injured patient reveals pelvic deformity and a rigid, distended abdomen. After applying high-flow oxygen and immobilizing the patient's spine, you should:

The finer and somewhat fainter breath sounds noted in the lateral wall of the chest are known as:

You are dispatched to an apartment complex, where a tenant was found unconscious by the landlord. There is no evidence of trauma. After completing the primary assessment and addressing immediate life-threats, you should::

During your reassessment of a patient with an illness or injury, it is important to:

Following the primary assessment, the MOST appropriate order to proceed when treating a responsive medical patient is:

A restrained 19-year-old male was involved in a rollover motor-vehicle crash. With the exception of a small laceration to his forehead, he appears stable. When reconsidering the mechanism of injury, you should:

The general impression of your patient will allow you to obtain all of the following information EXCEPT for the:

Law enforcement requests your assistance at a local nightclub for a patient who was assaulted. Upon arrival, an officer escorts you to the patient, a 21-year-old male, who is bleeding severely from a lacerated brachial artery. The patient is conscious and is screaming in pain. You should immediately:

When energy impacts a body structure it:

When is it appropriate to palpate a trauma patient's pelvis?

When performing a rapid trauma assessment (rapid body scan), you will usually assess all of the following, EXCEPT the:

A 50-year-old male complains of severe pain to the right lower quadrant of his abdomen. During your assessment, you should first palpate the:

What three factors should be evaluated when predicting a trauma patient's potential for serious injuries?

Which of the following questions would allow you to assess the "P" in the SAMPLE history?

A patient who coughs up thick yellow or green sputum:

A 70-year-old male tells you that he took three of his wife's nitroglycerin tablets for chest pain prior to calling EMS. This information is clinically important to you because it:

Which of the following methods of assessing circulation is LEAST reliable in adult patients?

In adult females and adolescents, systolic blood pressure is considered critically low when it is less _____ mm Hg or less.

Following the primary assessment, your actions prior to transport of a critically-injured patient should include:

Your primary assessment of a 32-year-old male reveals that he is semiconscious and is breathing at a slow rate with shallow movement of the chest. You should:

When a section of the ribs has been fractured, the injured section falls during inspiration and bulges during expiration. This is called:

Your scene size-up begins:

During your assessment of a patient with closed head trauma, you note that he opens his eyes in response to pain, groans when you speak to him, and withdraws his shoulder when you pinch his earlobe. You should assign him a Glasgow Coma Scale score of:

A 21-year-old male complains of acute shortness of breath with sharp chest pain during inspiration. You auscultate his lungs and hear a grating sound over the left lower lobe during inspiration. This patient's clinical presentation is MOST likely caused by:

Upon arriving at the scene of a motor-vehicle crash involving two cars, you see an unconscious patient still in his vehicle, but cannot see the occupant of the other car. Your MOST appropriate initial action should be to:

A 60-year-old male complains of right upper quadrant abdominal pain and pain to his right shoulder. He denies pain in between his abdomen and shoulder. The patient's description of his pain describes:

Which of the following injuries would the front seat passenger LEAST likely sustain when the front end of a car strikes a bridge pillar?

Which of the following actions would you NOT perform during the scene size-up?

The amount of force applied to the body during a motor-vehicle crash is directly related to:

Which of the following conditions may slow a person's capillary refill time?

Which of the following patients would you describe as being disoriented?

A 49-year-old male collapsed and is now unresponsive. There is no evidence of trauma. Your primary assessment reveals that he is pulseless and apneic. You should:

You are assessing a 22-year-old male with hypoglycemia. You note his mental status has improved, and he is now verbally responsive. You should:

A 23-year-old female called EMS because of a sudden onset of abdominal pain. During your assessment, you ask her to point to the area of her abdomen that is painful. She encircles a large area of her left lower quadrant with her finger. You would describe this patient's pain as being:

When assessing a patient with a small-caliber gunshot wound, it is important to remember that:

The rapid body scan of a seriously ill or injured patient should take no longer than:

A 39-year-old male complains of severe lower abdominal pain. His airway is patent and his respirations are eupneic. Assessment of his skin reveals that it is cool and clammy. You should:

While assessing the abdomen of a 37-year-old female who experienced blunt abdominal trauma, you note the presence of bruising over the left flank area. This finding suggests:

A middle-aged woman presents with crushing chest pain, diaphoresis, tachycardia, and nausea. Which of these findings is/are signs?

Which of the following patients requires immediate transport following initial stabilization at the scene?

You are assessing the pupils of a patient who was struck in the back of the head. You note that his pupils differ in size by slightly less than 1 mm. The patient is conscious, alert, and oriented to person, place, time, and event. You should suspect:

Which of the following are clinical indicators of respiratory failure?

Which of the following statements regarding clinical decision making is correct?

A 30-year-old male was ejected from his car after hitting a tree at a high rate of speed. Your assessment reveals that he is pulseless, apneic, and has multiple systems trauma. Treatment for this patient includes all of the following, EXCEPT:

Rales, rhonchi, and wheezing are examples of:

The soft, breezy, and lower pitched sounds found at the midclavicular line are known as _________________ sounds.

Proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE) will:

Which of the following general statements about blood pressure measurement is correct?

You are transporting a 66-year-old male to the hospital following a seizure. As you reassess him, you note that his mental status is improving and he is now talking to you. You should:

During your rapid trauma assessment (rapid body scan) of a man who sustained a gunshot wound to the chest, you note the presence of air under the skin. This clinical finding is referred to as subcutaneous:

You are called to a grocery store where a clerk has found an unresponsive female in one of the aisles. There were no witnesses to the event. You should immediately:

The focused assessment of a patient is based primarily on the:

An electronic blood pressure cuff that measures readings using stepped deflation:

When forming a general impression of your patient, you can determine the:

You are en route to a trauma center with a victim of a gunshot wound. You reassess his blood pressure and note that it has decreased by 10 mm Hg. After ensuring continued airway patency and adequate ventilation, you should:

You arrive at the scene of a motor-vehicle crash where a small car has struck a tree head-on. You see one patient sitting in the driver's seat with the door open. Prior to exiting the ambulance, you should:

A small truck slid off the road and struck a utility pole. The driver, a 40-year-old male, has only minor abrasions from the airbag. His 38-year-old wife was killed in the crash. After performing a primary assessment of the driver, you should:

The focused assessment of a responsive medical patient is guided by:

The concept of standard precautions assumes that:

A 40-year-old female is unconscious following blunt trauma to the chest. During the rapid trauma assessment (rapid body scan), you auscultate the chest and hear rhonchi. This indicates:

When performing the primary assessment of a patient, your goal is to:

All of the following conditions would require immediate transport after the primary assessment and treatment phase, EXCEPT: