Secondary Assessment
The term priapism means ________ and may be found in injuries of the ________. A) unequal pupils; brain B) a painful muscle spasm; spine C) abnormal pulsation; abdomen D) a persistent penile erection; spine
D) a persistent penile erection; spine
You are transporting a patient who has had her neck slashed from side to side. You and your partner are caring for the patient while a police officer drives you to the hospital, which is minutes away. You are focusing all of your efforts to maintain her airway and your partner is controlling her bleeding. Which of the following will you be unlikely to obtain? A) Primary assessment B) Patient's gender C) Reassessment results D) Pulse and respiratory rates
C) Reassessment results
During your radio report to the hospital, which of the following pieces of information should not be relayed? A) Patient's age B) Baseline vital signs C) Patient's name D) Patient's mental status
C) Patient's name
Which of the following statements concerning oxygen is true? A) Never give oxygen to a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). B) Always document the need for oxygen by pulse oximetry before giving it to the patient. C) Only withhold oxygen from anyone who is allergic to it. D) Never withhold oxygen from any patient who needs it.
D) Never withhold oxygen from any patient who needs it.
You are transporting a 20-year-old soccer player who injured his ankle during a match. His injury appears to be isolated and he has no significant past medical history. How frequently should you perform a reassessment on this patient? A) 30 minutes B) 15 minutes C) 5 minutes D) 10 minutes
B) 15 minutes
When assessing a patient who has been stabbed, which of the following information should the EMT gain first? A) Angle at which the knife entered the patient B) Size and type of the knife C) Owner of the knife D) Make and model of the knife
B) Size and type of the knife
During reassessment, you notice that your patient is making gurgling sounds. Which of the following should you do immediately? A) Assist ventilations with a bag-valve-mask device. B) Place the patient in the recovery position. C) Suction the airway. D) Increase the amount of oxygen being delivered to the patient.
C) Suction the airway.
You have received an order from medical direction that you feel would be detrimental to your patient. Which of the following should you do? A) Politely question the physician. B) Carry out the order but document that you disagreed with it. C) Contact your supervisor for advice. D) Call a different hospital for orders.
A) Politely question the physician.
Epinephrine delivered by auto-injector may be indicated for patients with which of the following conditions? A) Drug overdose B) Severe allergies to peanut butter, shellfish, penicillin, or bee stings C) Chest pain D) Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
B) Severe allergies to peanut butter, shellfish, penicillin, or bee stings
You are assessing a 76-year-old male patient who has been involved in a fall from a standing position. You have completed the scene size-up and primary assessment. What should you do next? A) Focused history assessment B) Ongoing assessment C) Secondary assessment D) Reassessment
C) Secondary assessment
Your patient is a 45-year-old female who complains of "twisting her ankle" when she slipped on a patch of ice. Which of the following is not appropriate? A) Questioning about any other complaints or areas of pain B) Secondary assessment C) Providing emotional support, if necessary D) Detailed physical exam
D) Detailed physical exam
You are caring for a teenager who is having a severe allergic reaction. He has hives all over his stomach, is having respiratory distress, and is wheezing. After you administer oxygen, you get a set of vital signs. Medical direction has ordered you to assist with administration of his EpiPen®. You will monitor the success of your interventions during the: A) primary assessment. B) secondary assessment. C) reassessment. D) focused exam.
C) reassessment.
You are on the scene of an unresponsive adult female patient. You find an empty pill bottle lying next to her bed. You look up the medication in your field guide and discover the medication is a powerful sedative. The prescription on the bottle is for the patient's husband, who is not present to answer questions about the medication. What should you do? A) Document the empty pill bottle. It may provide important clues to the patient's condition. B) Do not document the empty pill bottle. It does not belong to the patient. C) Document the empty pill bottle. It is obvious that she took the pills. D) Do not document the empty pill bottle. You cannot prove that she took the pills and could lead the doctor to make a false diagnosis.
A) Document the empty pill bottle. It may provide important clues to the patient's condition.
You have just administered nitroglycerin to a 68-year-old patient. Within a few minutes, she complains of feeling faint and lightheaded, but states that she is still having some chest pain. Which of the following would be the best sequence of actions? A) Lower the head of the stretcher and take the patient's blood pressure. B) Administer activated charcoal to prevent further absorption of the nitroglycerin and closely monitor the patient's blood pressure. C) Advise the patient that this is a normal occurrence and administer a second dose of nitroglycerin. D) Increase the amount of oxygen you are giving to the patient before administering a second dose of nitroglycerin.
A) Lower the head of the stretcher and take the patient's blood pressure.
You are attempting to place a nonrebreather mask on a patient who is experiencing difficulty breathing. The patient is anxious and does not want the mask on his face. Which of the following is the best course of action? A) Tell the patient the mask is for his benefit, and you will restrain him if necessary to place it on him. B) Explain the importance of oxygen, and ask the patient to at least try to leave the mask on, but assure him that if he can't tolerate it, you can try another method. C) Tell the patient he will soon become unconscious without the mask, and then you will be able to place it on him. D) Document that the patient was uncooperative and refused oxygen.
B) Explain the importance of oxygen, and ask the patient to at least try to leave the mask on, but assure him that if he can't tolerate it, you can try another method.
The patient was a driver in a lateral impact motor vehicle collision. During the assessment of his chest, the EMT notes a segment of the chest wall moving in the opposite direction from the rest of the chest. Which of the following best describes this finding? A) Flutter segment B) Tension pneumothorax C) Paradoxical motion D) Intercostal retractions
C) Paradoxical motion
You are alone in the back of the ambulance where you are ventilating an apneic patient. Which of the following is the best way to manage the reassessment? A) Have your partner stop the ambulance every 5 minutes to help you perform a reassessment. B) Stay on the scene and request additional help so you will have someone to help you perform a reassessment. C) Continue ventilating the patient during transport and skip the reassessment. D) Stop ventilating the patient every 5 minutes so you can perform a reassessment.
C) Continue ventilating the patient during transport and skip the reassessment.
You suspect that a 6-year-old female patient with multiple bruises and a broken wrist was abused. The stepmother states the patient fell down the stairs. The patient is crying and sheepishly nods in agreement with the stepmother's statements. How should you document this situation in the patient report? A) Document who you suspect caused the injuries in the narrative so that law enforcement has a record of the incident. B) Document what was said as well as your opinion that the child was too afraid to tell the truth. C) Document only the actual exam findings. Do not document anything that was said. D) Document any pertinent information that was said by the stepmother and child exactly in quotations.
D) Document any pertinent information that was said by the stepmother and child exactly in quotations.
You are on the scene of a 44-year-old female patient who has attempted suicide by taking all 30 pills of her antidepressant medication at once. You are ordered by medical control to administer activated charcoal. How will activated charcoal reduce the effects of the medication? A) Activated charcoal will cause the patient to vomit the medication. B) Activated charcoal will inactivate the patient's stomach acid. C) Activated charcoal will coat the intestines, preventing absorption. D) Activated charcoal will bind to the medication, reducing absorption.
D) Activated charcoal will bind to the medication, reducing absorption.
Bronchodilator inhalers have several common side effects, which include: A) decreased blood pressure and increased heart rate. B) bronchodilation and decreased heart rate. C) vasoconstriction and increased heart rate. D) jitteriness and increased heart rate.
D) jitteriness and increased heart rate.
Your patient is the 18-year-old male driver of a vehicle that struck a tree. He is conscious and complaining of neck pain. The passenger is obviously dead. You have performed your primary assessment. Which of the following is the next step? A) Immobilize the patient on a long backboard and perform a detailed examination in the ambulance. B) Rule out the possibility of cervical spine injury before moving the patient. C) Perform a tertiary assessment. D) Perform a rapid trauma assessment.
D) Perform a rapid trauma assessment.
You are transporting a patient whom you are treating for chest pain. You have completed all of your assessments and are writing down some of his personal information such as his address and phone number. As the patient is speaking, you notice that he is having increasing difficulty breathing. You should: A) get a quick set of vital signs. B) call the hospital and report the difficulty. C) immediately repeat your primary assessment. D) call for ALS backup.
C) immediately repeat your primary assessment.
Which of the following is one the most common situations in which an EMT may be liable? A) Patient refusal of treatment and transport B) Failing to get the receiving physician's signature on the patient care report C) Failure to document all of a patient's medications on the patient care report D) Inaccurate recording of times and mileage
A) Patient refusal of treatment and transport
You respond to a medical call for a 59-year-old female complaining of tightness in her chest. You place her on a high concentration of oxygen and prepare for a short 5-minute transport to the hospital. The patient tells you she is on nitroglycerin, which she has not taken. Your partner tells you that you can give aspirin per protocol. Should you delay the patient transport to give the medication, and why? A) No, any delay will cause the patient more heart damage; each delay weakens the myocardium. B) Yes, the nitroglycerin will cause the blood vessels to dilate and restore some blood flow, and the aspirin will slow the clotting process. C) Yes, the nitroglycerin will cause the heart to beat stronger and restore some blood flow, and the aspirin will ease the pain. D) No, any delay will cause the patient more stress; she needs to be in a definitive care facility.
B) Yes, the nitroglycerin will cause the blood vessels to dilate and restore some blood flow, and the aspirin will slow the clotting process.
An EMT is on the scene of a 48-year-old male patient complaining of chest pain. He has nitroglycerin prescribed and available. After performing the primary and secondary assessments, the EMT contacts medical control and is ordered to assist the patient in taking his nitroglycerin. Carefully, the EMT performs the "five rights" and checks the expiration before administering the medication. The patient states the medicine is not helping his pain. The patient also states he does not have a headache. Reassessment of the patient's vital signs shows no change in blood pressure. The EMT suspects the nitro is not working because the: A) medication is expired. B) medication is not nitroglycerin. C) EMT only gave one tablet instead of two. D) medication was somehow rendered inert.
D) medication was somehow rendered inert.