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A patient is found unresponsive in his small bathroom. He is not breathing and is sitting
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in the corner. Two EMTs are able to reach him, but they are unable to stand side by
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side. He appears to weigh about 150 pounds and there is no evidence that he has been
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injured. Which of the following would be the quickest and MOST practical way of moving
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him out of the bathroom?
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A) Extremity lift l
B) Long backboard l
C) Direct ground lift l l
D) Stair chair device - Correct answer-A) Extremity lift l l l l l l l
When moving any patient, you should do so in the safest, most efficient way possible. If a
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patient is in a narrow space (ie, small bathroom, narrow hallway)
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and you and your partner cannot stand side by side to perform a direct ground lift, the
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extremity lift would be the most practical way of moving him or her.
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One EMT would lift by the arms and the other by the legs; the patient could then be
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moved to a larger working area. Two EMTs should be able to safely lift a
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150-pound patient. A long backboard would clearly not work in the case of a narrow or l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l
small space because there would be little room to the patient's left or
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right to slide the board underneath him or her. A stair chair would also likely not be
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possible, or practical, because of such a confined space.
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A 52-year-old woman crashed her minivan into a tree. She is pinned at the legs by the
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steering wheel and is semiconscious. After gaining
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access to the patient, you should: l l l l l
A) perform a primary assessment and provide any life-saving care before extrication. l l l l l l l l l l
B) immediately apply high-flow oxygen to the patient and allow extrication to begin. l l l l l l l l l l l
C) rapidly assess her from head to toe, obtain vital signs, and apply a cervical collar. l l l l l l l l l l l l l l
D) have the fire department disentangle the patient and quickly remove her from the
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car. - Correct answer-A) perform a primary assessment and provide any life-saving care
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before extrication.
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Unless there is an immediate threat of fire, explosion, or other danger, you should
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perform a primary assessment and begin any life-saving care as soon as
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you have gained access to the patient. If you wait to do this until after the patient has
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been disentangled, it may be too late; the patient may already be dead.
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After you have assessed the patient and treated any immediate threats to life, allow
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extrication to commence. Once the patient has been freed from the
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vehicle, continue any lifesaving care and perform a rapid head-to -toe assessment to
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identify and treat other life- threatening injuries. Another EMT can
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obtain vital signs as you rapidly assess the patient. Prepare for immediate transport after
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the rapid head-to-toe assessment has been performed and spinal
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,precautions have been taken (if indicated). l l l l l
When arriving at the scene of a motor vehicle crash at night, you determine that the safest
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place to park the ambulance is in a direction that
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faces oncoming traffic. What should you do?
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A) Position road flares around the front of the ambulance. l l l l l l l l
B) Turn all emergency lighting off to avoid blinding the traffic. l l l l l l l l l
C) Turn the high-beam headlights on to alert oncoming traffic. l l l l l l l l
D) Turn your headlights off, but keep the emergency lights on. - Correct answer-D) Turn
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your headlights off, but keep the emergency lights on.
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Emergency operations on the highway at night can be especially dangerous for l l l l l l l l l l l
responders; it is important to position emergency vehicles correctly, while at
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the same time ensuring visibility for oncoming traffic without blinding them. First of all,
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road flares near an automobile crash are dangerous because leaking
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fluids , such as gasoline, may not be immediately apparent; safety triangles are safer. If
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your emergency vehicle is facing oncoming traffic, you should keep
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your emergency lights on, but turn your headlights off. Bright lights, such as high-beam
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headlights, can effectively blind and disorient an oncoming driver,
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and could cause them to crash into the scene.
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A 72-year-old woman fell and has a hip injury. She is on the second floor of her home.
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Which of the following devices should you use to l l l l l l l l
move her down the flight of stairs
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A) Stair chair l
B) Long backboard l
C) Wheeled stretcher l
D) Scoop stretcher - Correct answer-D) Scoop stretcher l l l l l l
Of the options listed, the scoop stretcher, also called an orthopaedic stretcher or split
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litter, would be the most appropriate to use. The scoop stretcher is
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contoured and allows for the placement of straps to secure the patient; it also allows you l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l
to place padding around and under the patient. The long backboard,
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unlike the scoop stretcher, is flat; therefore, the patient can slide from side to side or top
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to bottom, even when straps are placed. The wheeled ambulance
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stretcher is top heavy and is not safe for patient movement down a flight of stairs or
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across rough terrain. Because the patient has a hip injury, the stair chair would not be
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appropriate to use.
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When calling in your radio report to the receiving hospital, you should:
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A) include the patient's name. l l l
B) be brief, concise, and factual. l l l l
C) give your report only to a physician. l l l l l l
D) break your report into 60-second increments. - Correct answer-B) be brief, concise,
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and factual.
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,A radio report should be brief, concise, and factual. It should include the patient's age and
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sex, his or her chief complaint, associated assessment findings,
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vital signs, treatment that you provided, and the patient's response to your treatment.
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Avoid speculative statements regarding the patient's condition; report
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only what you know to be fact. Longer radio reports should be broken into 30-second
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increments; after 30 seconds, pause and ensure the listener heard
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your previous traffic. The patient's name is not vital to your report; thus, there is no need
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to disclose it. Unless you are requesting medical direction, it is
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acceptable, and routine practice, to give your report to a registered nurse. l l l l l l l l l l l
At the scene of a mass-casualty incident, you notice a bystander who is emotionally
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upset. An appropriate action to take would be to:
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A) tell the bystander to leave the scene at once.
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B) have the bystander assist you with patient care. l l l l l l l
C) notify the police and have the bystander removed. l l l l l l l
D) assign the bystander a simple, non-patient-care task. - Correct answer-D) assign the l l l l l l l l l l l
bystander a simple, non-patient-care task.
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One of the most effective ways to reduce stress in a bystander at the scene of a mass-
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casualty incident is to assign the bystander a task that is not related to
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patient care. This may involve assisting other bystanders who are having difficulties as
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well or providing water to the rescuers. An obviously distressed
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bystander should not simply be sent away from the scene, but should be looked at as a l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l
patient as well. Clearly, if the bystander becomes aggressive or violent,
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law enforcement personnel should get involved.
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Upon arriving at a mass-casualty incident, the EMT is assigned to the treatment area.
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Upon completion of duties in the treatment area, the
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EMT should: l
A) notify the incident commander and return to service. l l l l l l l
B) report to the treatment officer for further instructions. l l l l l l l
C) report to the transportation area to assist with transport. l l l l l l l l
D) report to the triage section to check for remaining patients. - Correct answer-B)l l l l l l l l l l l l
report to the treatment officer for further instructions.
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Organized operations at the scene of a mass-casualty incident are crucial in order to l l l l l l l l l l l l l
achieve the best possible outcome and maximize the number of lives
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saved. W hen the EMT is given an assignment, he or she should complete the
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assignment and then return to the individual who gave the assignment for
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further instructions. Self-assigning at the scene (freelancing) is dangerous and can
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compromise the effectiveness of the overall operation.
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A patient injured his arm and asks to be transported to a specific hospital because he has
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been there before. The EMT states that he does
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not feel the doctors there are competent and recommends a different hospital. The EMT's
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behavior is:
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, A) legal and ethical. l l
B) ethical, but illegal. l l
C) legal, but unethical. l l
D) illegal and unethical. - Correct answer-C) legal, but unethical.
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The EMT's actions in this case are not illegal; he cannot go to jail for making such
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comments. However, his actions are clearly unethical and unprofessional,
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and could lead to allegations of slander by the physician; this would be a civil case, not a
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criminal one. You must not allow your personal feelings to influence
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a patient's decision as to who treats him or her, or where he or she is treated.
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You arrive at the scene of an 80-year-old woman who is weak and lightheaded. Her son,
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who called 911, is present and asks you to transport
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his mother to the hospital. You should:
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A) advise the son that he can probably drive his mother to the hospital.
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B) comply with the son's request and transport the woman to the hospital. l l l l l l l l l l l
C) take the woman's vital signs and apply supplemental oxygen if necessary.
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D) assess the woman and determine if she wishes to be treated and transported. -
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Correct answer-D) assess the woman and determine if she wishes to be treated and
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transported.
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You must obtain consent from any mentally competent adult patient prior to initiating
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treatment. Just because the patient is 80 years old does not mean that
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she does not have decision-making capacity. Also, just because her son wants her to be
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transported does not mean that she agrees with this request. Ask her
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if she wishes to be treated and transported to the hospital. If she does, then you have
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obtained consent and should proceed accordingly. If she does not, you
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should determine if she has decision-making capacity--that is, whether she is mentally
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competent. If she is determined to have decision-making capacity,
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then you cannot legally treat or transport her. If she does not have decision-making
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capacity (eg, she is confused, she is under the influence of drugs or
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alcohol), then you may treat and transport under the law of implied consent. It is not the
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EMT's decision to determine, let alone recommend, that a patient be
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taken to the hospital via privately owned vehicle (POV}. If the patient requests EMS
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treatment and transport, you are legally obligated to do so.
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When using the power lift to lift a stretcher, you should:
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A) maintain a slight inward curve to your back. l l l l l l l
B) bend at the waist and keep your back straight l l l l l l l l
C) ensure that you lift with your palms facing up. l l l l l l l l
D) maintain a slight outward curve to your back. - Correct answer-C) ensure that you lift l l l l l l l l l l l l l l
with your palms facing up.
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To achieve the best grip and to avoid injury to your wrists, you should lift a stretcher,
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backboard, or other carrying device with your palms facing up. Do not
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