Medical Priority Dispatch System Flashcards

During the Case Entry protocol, which of the following is NOT one of the four mandatory questions an EMD must ask?

Answer: "What is the patient's name?"

The four mandatory Case Entry questions are: "What's the address of the emergency?", "What's the phone number you're calling from?", "Okay, tell me exactly what happened?", and determining the patient's age, sex, consciousness, and breathing status. The patient's name is not a required component of the initial Case Entry protocol.

A caller reports a 54-year-old male is experiencing chest pain. In the MPDS, what is the primary purpose of selecting the correct Chief Complaint Protocol?

Answer: To guide the EMD through the most appropriate set of Key Questions and instructions.

Selecting the correct Chief Complaint Protocol is a critical step that ensures the EMD asks the right series of Key Questions to accurately assess the situation, assign the appropriate Determinant Code, and provide relevant Dispatch Life Support instructions.

A 22-year-old female has fallen from a second-story balcony. She is conscious but reports severe back pain and cannot feel her legs. Which of the following MPDS components provides life-saving instructions, such as how to maintain C-spine stabilization, for the caller to perform before responders arrive?

Answer: Dispatch Life Support (DLS)

Dispatch Life Support (DLS) is the component of the MPDS that provides scripted Pre-Arrival and Post-Dispatch Instructions to the caller. This allows the EMD to turn the caller into the "first first responder" by providing potentially life-saving instructions like CPR, bleeding control, or C-spine stabilization.

In the MPDS, a Determinant Code is comprised of a number, a letter, and another number (e.g., 6-D-1). What does the letter component represent?

Answer: The response priority level based on the patient's acuity.

The letter in an MPDS Determinant Code (ALPHA, BRAVO, CHARLIE, DELTA, ECHO, or OMEGA) represents the response determinant or priority level. This indicates the potential severity of the patient's condition, with ECHO being the most critical and ALPHA being a lower acuity.

Which of the following situations would most likely result in the selection of the 'Sick Person' (Protocol 26) Chief Complaint?

Answer: An 80-year-old male with a generalized feeling of weakness and malaise for three days without priority symptoms.

The 'Sick Person' protocol is used for patients with a non-categorizable Chief Complaint who do not have identifiable priority symptoms like chest pain, breathing problems, or a change in level of consciousness. The other options have clear corresponding protocols (Chest Pain, Convulsions/Seizures, Falls).

What is the primary function of Post-Dispatch Instructions (PDIs) within the Medical Priority Dispatch System?

Answer: To provide instructions for the caller to prepare for the arrival of responders.

Post-Dispatch Instructions (PDIs) are given to the caller after the initial dispatch has been made. Their main purpose is to guide the caller in preparing for the arrival of help, which can include actions like unlocking the door, securing pets, and turning on lights to make the location easier to find.