PHTLS Scene Assessment and Safety 5

Question 1

Which component of the PHTLS scene assessment identifies whether additional units, air transport, or specialty teams are needed?

Accepted Answer

Resource assessment and request

Answer

Resource assessment during scene size-up determines what additional personnel, equipment, or specialty teams must be requested early.

Question 2

A provider arrives at a bar fight scene where police have not yet arrived and participants are still arguing. The correct action is:

Accepted Answer

Stage at a safe distance until law enforcement secures the scene

Answer

EMS should never enter an unsecured scene involving active violence; staging until law enforcement clears the scene is mandatory.

Question 3

What does 'mechanism of injury with significant kinetic energy' indicate to the PHTLS provider?

Accepted Answer

Internal injuries are likely even without obvious external signs

Answer

High-energy mechanisms transfer force to internal structures, making occult injury likely even when external findings appear minor.

Question 4

When caring for a patient near a highway, which traffic control measure is the EMS crew's responsibility?

Accepted Answer

Notifying dispatch of the need for traffic management and following law enforcement direction

Answer

EMS providers should notify dispatch and coordinate with law enforcement for traffic control rather than personally directing highway traffic.

Question 5

A provider notes that a patient's injuries are inconsistent with the reported mechanism. What should this finding prompt?

Accepted Answer

Consideration of abuse or assault and mandatory reporting if indicated

Answer

Injuries inconsistent with stated MOI should raise suspicion for abuse or assault and trigger mandatory reporting obligations.

PHTLS - Prehospital Trauma Life Support Practice Test