EMS SYSTEMS & LEGAL
Written guidelines that define the EMT’s scope of care.
Protocols / Standing orders
Communication technique that uses repeat-back to avoid mistakes.
Closed-loop communication
Preferred airway-opening technique for trauma patients.
Jaw-thrust maneuver
Muscle type found in the heart.
Cardiac muscle
What the “P” stands for in OPQRST.
Pain Provocation
Permission obtained when a patient nods or holds out their arm.
Expressed consent
Best lifting technique to protect your back.
Power lift
Normal adult respiratory rate range.
12–20 breaths/min
Structure that prevents food from entering the airway.
Epiglottis
AVPU represents these levels of responsiveness.
Alert, Verbal, Pain, Unresponsive
The four components of negligence.
Duty to act, breach of duty, damages, causation
What is the preferred method for moving a patient with suspected spinal injury onto a long spine board?
Log Roll
What does Hypoxemia mean?
Low oxygen in the Blood
A narrowing pulse pressure suggests this type of shock.
Hypovolemic shock
Assessment that identifies immediate life threats.
Primary assessment
The physician who oversees prehospital medical care.
Medical Director
What type of communication occurs when an EMT uses body language, gestures, and facial expressions?
Nonverbal communication
Amount of air moved in a normal breath (tidal volume)
500 mL
What is the term for the pressure in the arteries during heart relaxation (the lower number in BP)?
Diastolic
Trauma finding mnemonic for injury patterns.
DCAP-BTLS
Act passed in 1973 to develop and improve EMS systems.
EMS Systems Act
What is the federal law that protects patient medical information and privacy?
HIPAA
Two airway adjuncts that cannot be used in conscious patients.
OPA
What is the primary muscle responsible for breathing?
The Diaphragm
Five vital signs EMTs must record on almost every patient.
Pulse, respirations, blood pressure, skin signs, pupils