Emergency Procedures & Protocols Flashcards

While transporting a patient by wheelchair, the patient suddenly slumps over and does not respond to your voice. What should you do first?

Answer: Stop, check responsiveness and breathing, and call for help or activate the emergency code

Stopping to assess and immediately summoning help gets the patient care fastest without leaving them alone.

During a horizontal evacuation, where are patients moved?

Answer: Through fire doors to an adjacent smoke compartment on the same floor

Horizontal evacuation moves patients past fire/smoke barriers on the same floor, which is the first option in most hospital fire plans.

A patient you are transporting begins having a seizure on a stretcher. Which action is appropriate?

Answer: Make sure the side rails are up, protect the head, and call for help

Protect the patient from injury and get clinical help; never restrain the patient or put anything in their mouth.

You find an elevator stuck between floors with you and a patient inside. What is the best action?

Answer: Use the emergency phone or alarm button, stay calm, and reassure the patient

Use the elevator's emergency communication system and wait for trained personnel while keeping the patient calm.

Which code is commonly used in US hospitals to signal an infant or child abduction?

Answer: Code Pink (or Code Amber)

Many US hospitals use Code Pink (some use Code Amber) for infant/child abduction, so staff watch exits and stairwells.

During a Code Pink, what should a transporter in a hallway near an exit do?

Answer: Watch exits and stairwells and report anyone carrying an infant or large bag

Staff are expected to monitor exits and report suspicious people to security rather than confronting them physically.

A patient's IV catheter becomes dislodged during transport and the site is bleeding. What should you do?

Answer: Apply gentle pressure with clean gauze and notify the nurse immediately

Applying direct pressure controls bleeding, and the nurse must handle the IV; transporters never reinsert lines.