SCENE SAFE!
The absolute first priority for an EMT upon arriving at any emergency incident.
What is scene safety (or situational awareness)?
The single, overarching goal of the primary assessment.
What is to identify and treat immediate life threats?
The specific reason the patient or caller summoned EMS, typically recorded in the patient's own words.
What is the chief complaint?
An adult patient with a resting heart rate of 118 beats per minute is exhibiting this medical condition.
What is tachycardia?
You must perform a complete reassessment on an unstable patient at this minimum time interval.
What is every 5 minutes?
Identifying the type of medical call by determining this specific factor, which is the medical equivalent to the Mechanism of Injury (MOI).
What is the Nature of Illness (NOI)?
A patient who can speak to you clearly in full, understandable sentences is objectively demonstrating this specific airway status.
What is a patent airway?
To gather the most accurate narrative during a patient interview, you should ask these types of questions that cannot be answered with a simple "yes" or "no".
What are open-ended questions?
The non-invasive method of obtaining a blood pressure by inflating the cuff and feeling for the return of the radial pulse, which only provides a systolic reading.
What is palpation?
The very first step you must perform when initiating the reassessment phase during transport.
What is repeat the primary assessment?
If a previously calm scene escalates and involves physical violence or weapons, you must immediately take this action.
What is retreat to a safe area (and call for law enforcement)?
To manage a patient with suspected cervical spine trauma who has a closed airway, you must use this specific manual technique.
What is the jaw-thrust maneuver?
Important symptoms that a patient explicitly denies having, which help EMTs rule out specific diagnoses, are known by this clinical term.
What are pertinent negatives?
This standard diagnostic tool emits light to measure the percentage of hemoglobin molecules that are saturated with oxygen.
What is a pulse oximeter?
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) causing increased intracranial pressure often presents with Cushing's triad, which consists of bradycardia, irregular respirations, and this specific blood pressure change.
What is hypertension (or a widening pulse pressure)?
Requesting a bariatric ambulance, a rescue squad for extrication, or an ALS intercept falls under this specific step of the scene size-up.
What is determining the need for additional resources?
Inadequate ventilation is most reliably identified by an abnormal respiratory rate combined with a lack of this physical sign.
What is adequate chest rise and fall (or tidal volume)?
When investigating a patient's pain using the OPQRST mnemonic, this letter determines if anything makes the symptom better or worse.
What is Provocation (or Palliation)?
When performing a rapid trauma assessment of the musculoskeletal system and major anatomical regions, EMTs use this 8-letter acronym to systematically check for injuries.
What is DCAP-BTLS (Deformities, Contusions, Abrasions, Punctures/Penetrations, Burns, Tenderness, Lacerations, Swelling)?
A patient with a TBI who inappropriately flexes their arms tightly across their chest in response to a painful stimulus is exhibiting this specific type of posturing.
What is decorticate posturing?
Body Substance Isolation (BSI) and donning standard personal protective equipment must be completed at this specific point during the call.
What is before patient contact (or prior to exiting the ambulance)?
If a patient appears lifeless or has major arterial bleeding, the standard ABC sequence is altered to focus on this step first to preserve life.
What is Circulation (or hemorrhage control/compressions)?
The "M" in the SAMPLE history mnemonic requires you to document prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, and this third category.
What are herbal supplements (or illicit drugs)?
Assessing the neurological system by checking the pupils involves ensuring they are Equal, Round, and reactive to this stimulus.
What is Light (PEARRL)?
The maximum possible score on the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), indicating a neurologically intact, fully alert and oriented patient.
What is 15?