ABCN Emergency Response Procedures 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A neuropsychologist's client sends a text message stating they have already ingested a bottle of pills. What is the MOST appropriate immediate action?
- Reply by text asking how many pills were taken
- Call 911 and provide the client's address to emergency services (Correct answer)
- Schedule an emergency therapy session for the next morning
- Contact the client's employer to inform them of the situation
Correct answer: Call 911 and provide the client's address to emergency services
An active overdose constitutes a medical emergency; contacting 911 with the patient's location is the most critical immediate action to prevent death.
Question 2: Which documentation element is MOST important to record immediately following an emergency intervention with a patient?
- The patient's insurance policy number
- A chronological account of events, clinical reasoning, and actions taken (Correct answer)
- Contact information for the patient's preferred pharmacy
- A copy of the patient's driver's license
Correct answer: A chronological account of events, clinical reasoning, and actions taken
Thorough contemporaneous documentation of the sequence of events, clinical judgment, and decisions made protects both the patient and clinician legally and professionally.
Question 3: An elderly patient with known dementia wanders out of a neuropsychology clinic unattended. Which emergency protocol element is MOST critical to have established in advance?
- A list of the patient's favorite activities
- A facility elopement protocol including immediate staff notification and designated search areas (Correct answer)
- The patient's dietary restrictions
- The patient's billing statement
Correct answer: A facility elopement protocol including immediate staff notification and designated search areas
An elopement protocol with clear roles, search areas, and notification procedures minimizes the time a cognitively impaired patient is unsupervised in a dangerous environment.
Question 4: A neuropsychologist conducting a forensic evaluation in a jail setting observes that an inmate-examinee is experiencing acute respiratory distress. The primary obligation is to:
- Complete the forensic evaluation and report the distress in the written report
- Alert correctional staff and call for medical assistance immediately (Correct answer)
- Administer any available medication from the examination kit
- Continue the evaluation since correctional staff are responsible for medical care
Correct answer: Alert correctional staff and call for medical assistance immediately
Regardless of the evaluation context, the clinician has an ethical duty to summon appropriate medical help for any person in acute distress.
Question 5: In a group neuropsychological rehabilitation session, one participant discloses that another group member made specific threats against them outside of session. How should the clinician respond FIRST?
- Dismiss the concern as outside the session scope
- Separate the individuals, assess the seriousness of the threat, and follow applicable duty-to-protect procedures (Correct answer)
- Continue the session and document the disclosure at its conclusion
- Encourage the two members to resolve the conflict directly
Correct answer: Separate the individuals, assess the seriousness of the threat, and follow applicable duty-to-protect procedures
The clinician must first ensure immediate safety by separating parties, assess threat credibility, and invoke duty-to-protect protocols if the threat is serious.
Question 6: A patient with a traumatic brain injury becomes physically aggressive during a neuropsychological testing session. The safest de-escalation strategy is to:
- Physically restrain the patient immediately
- Maintain a calm voice, increase personal distance, and remove any objects that could be used as weapons (Correct answer)
- Continue testing to distract the patient from agitation
- Verbally confront the patient about their behavior
Correct answer: Maintain a calm voice, increase personal distance, and remove any objects that could be used as weapons
De-escalation involves non-confrontational communication, increasing physical distance, and removing environmental hazards before involving physical intervention.
Question 7: A neuropsychologist practicing in a hospital setting discovers a fire alarm has activated. Patients with cognitive impairments cannot self-evacuate. What is the correct initial action according to RACE protocol?
- Extinguish the fire before moving any patients
- Rescue patients in immediate danger, then activate the alarm
- Activate the alarm, then rescue patients nearest to the fire (Correct answer)
- Confine the fire by closing doors before evacuating patients
Correct answer: Activate the alarm, then rescue patients nearest to the fire
RACE protocol begins with Rescue (remove endangered persons), then Alarm (activate if not already done), Confine (close doors), and Extinguish/Evacuate.
ABCN Emergency Response Procedures 3
A neuropsychologist's client sends a text message stating they have already ingested a bottle of pills.
What is the MOST appropriate immediate action?