Patient Assessment & Decision-Making Flashcards
6 cards from real NREMT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Patient Assessment & Decision-Making flashcards as text
During the primary assessment, an EMT identifies a patient's life threats in which order?
Answer: Airway, Breathing, Circulation (ABC)
The primary assessment follows the ABC sequence: Airway first (open and patent?), then Breathing (adequate?), then Circulation (adequate perfusion, hemorrhage control). This order reflects physiological priorities.
The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is used to assess which three components?
Answer: Eye opening, verbal response, motor response
The GCS measures eye opening (1-4 points), verbal response (1-5 points), and motor response (1-6 points). Total scores range from 3 (no response) to 15 (fully alert).
An EMT arrives to find an unresponsive patient. After ensuring scene safety, what is the FIRST action?
Answer: Assess airway and breathing
For an unresponsive patient, the primary assessment begins immediately with airway and breathing assessment. These must be addressed before any other intervention.
When performing a rapid trauma assessment on a patient with a significant mechanism of injury, the EMT should assess the patient's body in which order?
Answer: Head to toe in a systematic manner
A rapid trauma assessment proceeds head-to-toe to ensure a systematic evaluation and prevent missed injuries. Beginning at the head and working toward the feet reduces the risk of overlooking less obvious injuries.
A patient has a pulse oximetry reading of 89% on room air. The EMT should:
Answer: Apply a non-rebreather mask at 15 L/min and reassess
An SpO2 of 89% on room air indicates significant hypoxemia. High-flow oxygen via non-rebreather mask should be applied immediately and reassessed after a few minutes.
When should the EMT perform a focused history and physical examination rather than a rapid full-body assessment?
Answer: For a medical patient with a specific complaint and no significant mechanism of injury
A focused assessment is appropriate for medical patients with an isolated complaint (e.g., chest pain, abdominal pain) where a full-body trauma assessment is not indicated by the mechanism of injury.