Patient Assessment & Documentation Flashcards
7 cards from real EMS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Patient Assessment & Documentation flashcards as text
A patient is breathing at a rate of 6 breaths per minute with shallow tidal volume. The EMT should immediately:
Answer: Assist ventilations with a BVM at 10-12 breaths per minute
A respiratory rate below 8 with inadequate tidal volume indicates respiratory failure requiring assisted ventilation with a BVM.
Which of the following best defines 'mechanism of injury' (MOI)?
Answer: The forces and circumstances that caused the patient's trauma
Mechanism of injury describes the forces and events that produced the trauma, guiding the EMT's index of suspicion for hidden injuries.
You are documenting a patient refusal of care. Which element is MOST critical to include in the PCR?
Answer: Confirmation that the patient was informed of the risks of refusal
A valid refusal requires documentation that the competent patient received and understood the risks of refusing care, protecting both the patient and EMS crew legally.
During the primary survey of a trauma patient, you identify a large open chest wound that is sucking air. Your immediate intervention is to:
Answer: Apply a vented chest seal or three-sided occlusive dressing
An open pneumothorax (sucking chest wound) requires immediate sealing with a vented chest seal to prevent tension pneumothorax while allowing air escape.
A responsive 45-year-old female is found with altered mental status. Which finding would MOST suggest hypoglycemia as the cause?
Answer: Blood glucose of 35 mg/dL
A blood glucose of 35 mg/dL is critically low and directly confirms hypoglycemia as the likely cause of altered mental status.
When using the JumpSTART triage system for pediatric patients, a child who is breathing spontaneously after repositioning the airway is tagged:
Answer: Red (immediate)
In JumpSTART, a non-breathing child who resumes breathing after airway repositioning is tagged Red (immediate) because they require urgent airway intervention.
Which pulse location is MOST reliable for assessing circulation in an unresponsive adult during the primary survey?
Answer: Carotid pulse in the neck
The carotid pulse is the preferred site in an unresponsive adult because it reflects central circulation and is easily accessible during the primary survey.