Scene Size-Up
Due to it's everchanging possibilities, this is necessary for everyone on the scene to have throughout the entire call to ensure safety.
What is situational awareness?
The overall initial impression that determines the priority for patient care; based on the patient's surroundings, the mechanism of injury, signs and symptoms, and the chief complaint.
What is the general impression?
What is respiratory distress?
This provides details about the patient's chief complaint and an account of the patient's signs and symptoms.
What is history taking?
Simply looking at your patient for abnormalities, looking for anything that may indicate a problem.
What is inspection?
A harsh high-pitched sound, generally heard during inspiration, that is caused by partial blockage or narrowing of the upper airway; may be audible without a stethoscope.
What is stridor?
If a patient can recall the day and the event of the incident this memory is MOST likely intact.
What is short-term memory?
Environmental, Physical, Chemical, Electrical, Fire, Explosions, and Violence are all examples of these you may encounter at a scene.
What are hazards?
When you ask Person, Place, Time, and Event while questioning a patient, you are assessing this.
What is orientation or mental status?
Liver disease or dysfunction may cause this, resulting in the patient's skin and sclera to turn yellow.
What is jaundice?
The Q in the mnemonic OPQRTS stand for this and it means this.
What is Quality and it describes what the symptom feels like?
What is paradoxical motion?
What is wheezing?
Unstable patients should be reassessed this often.
What is every 5 minutes?
The process of sorting patients based on the severity of their condition.
What is triage?
Awake and alert, Responsive to Verbal stimuli, Responsive to Pain, and Unresponsive mnemonic.
What is AVPU?
To assess capillary refill in newborns and young infants press on the forehead, chin, and this.
What is the sternum?
OPQRST
What is Onset, Provocation, Quality, Region/Radiation, Severity, and Timing?
The process of touching or feeling the patient for abnormalities; it may be gentle or firmer to help you identify where the patient has pain.
What is palpate or palpation?
A crackling, rattling breath sound that signals fluid in the air spaces of the lungs.
What are crackles?
When choosing the correct size blood pressure cuff, the cuff should take up this fraction of the upper arm.
What is 2/3?
The forces, or energy transmission, applied to the body that cause injury.
What is Mechanism of injury (MOI)?
The flow of blood through body tissues and vessels.
What is perfusion?
Tachypnea, agonal respirations, lethargy, inadequate respiratory rate, bradycardia, and diminished muscle tone are all signs of this.
What is respiratory failure?
Negative findings that warrant no care or intervention.
What is a pertinent negative?
This type of assessment is generally performed on patients who have sustained nonsignificant MOI's or on responsive medical patients and it's based on the chief complaint.
What is a focused assessment?
This kind of sound may be heard when the tongue is blocking the airway.
What is snoring?
Stable patients should be reassessed this often.
What is 15 minutes?
Protective measures that have traditionally been developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) for use in dealing with objects, blood, body fluids, and other potential exposure risks of communicable disease.
What are standard precautions?
In children younger than 1 pulse is palpated here.
What is the brachial artery?
The time from injury to definitive care, during which treatment of shock and traumatic injuries must occur to maximized the patient's chance of survival is referred to as this.
What is the golden hour?
SAMPLE
What is signs/symptoms, allergies, medications, past pertinent medical history, last oral intake, and events leading up to the injury or illness?
The process of listening to sounds the body makes by using a stethoscope.
What is auscultation?
Coarse, low-pitched breath sounds heard in patients with chronic mucus in the upper airways.
What is rhonchi?
In the mnemonic PEARRL, the L stands for this.
What is Light? Are the pupils reactive to light?