Patient Assessment
Patient assessment is the process an EMT or paramedic follows to evaluate an injured or ill patient. The process includes a scene size-up, which is the identification and mitigation of risks, a primary assessment to find and fix life threats and a secondary assessment to perform a focused history and physical exam of the patient. Each step is an opportunity to collect information that will guide treatment and inform a transport decision. In the EMS1 Patient Assessment topic find the latest news about patient assessment and top resources to improve your patient assessment skills.
Watch as Steve Whitehead shares quick tips for improving stroke care
New solutions for higher standards of care
Dr. Amanda Berndtson shares the impact of wall-related injuries on EMS and hospitals in Southern Arizona and San Diego at NAEMSP Grand Rounds
Asthma, a leading cause of respiratory compromise, can be assessed with capnography and effectively treated with BLS and ALS medications
Quantitative waveform capnography can be a reliable surrogate for lactate monitoring in detecting metabolic distress in sepsis patients
The proposal calls for a test for EMTs to be licensed as community veteran emergency medical technicians under the direction of a doctor or physician’s assistant
The new device can also measure blood sugar, body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure and amount of oxygen in the bloodstream
Current technology and vital signs limit the information EMS providers can communicate to hospital trauma teams
The EMTs found the woman unresponsive from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head
Whether through prescription drug abuse or IV heroin, opiate addiction is on the increase; here’s how EMS providers can recognize withdrawal symptoms and know what to do
The guidelines are specific to first responders, to better diagnose and treat post-traumatic stress disorder
You were asked to respond for a woman who may have broken her arm; did you make the right decision?
You are asked to respond to a residence for a report of a broken arm
Having an issue that is difficult to diagnose doesn’t mean being psychosomatic; pain is a universal sign of a problem
Emergency response was delayed because a bigger stretcher and ambulance were needed to transport the obese woman
A smartphone video captures a 71-year-old man enter a river to assist a man collapsed on a rock and partially submerged
You are asked to respond to an office for a woman with nausea and abdominal pain; did you get the diagnosis right?
You are asked to respond to an office for a report of a sick person
Justifiable and properly executed patient restraint, within protocol guidelines, never looks good to the lay public
I am truly fortunate to have known so many people more intimately than I had any right to expect
Is it time for EMS providers to rethink the meaning and application of “load and go”?
The patient waited almost six hours for an ambulance and was initially told by a paramedic that he had “man flu”
Overcome analysis paralysis by focusing on the sequence and process of patient assessment and treatment
EMS agencies are invited to test and comment on proposed measures for stroke patient assessment, care and transport
Although endocrine emergencies are uncommon, the signs and symptoms can be mistaken for more commonly encountered medical emergencies
You are asked to respond to the home of a woman that has been burned by a liquid while cooking
You are asked to respond to the home of a woman that has been burned by a liquid while cooking
