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.
Rescuers need to anticipate specific medical problems and patient needs as they prepare to encounter patients in a collapsed structure or debris pile
By debunking human trafficking myths, EMS providers can assist the victims they encounter in their own communities
EMS clinicians are in a unique position to provide proactive education to patients as the only subset of clinicians that enter their homes
The family of a 27-year-old who died from positional asphyxia when secured in a prone position received a settlement from a lawsuit; 5 EMTs involved in the incident were suspended
4 intoxicated patient assessment reminders for EMS providers
The federal agency had approved the product — brand name Palcohol — for sale last spring but rescinded the approval saying it had been made in error
The crew was attacked by the patient first and later the patient’s sister
Use this method to identify landmarks as an alternative to the sternal notch placement of electrodes for acquiring a 12-lead ECG
You responded to a firefighter with eye pain and blurred vision; did you get the treatment steps right?
You are asked to respond to the rehab area at a working structure fire
In the real world it is impossible for a scene to be 100% safe; therefore we must constantly assess risk
Carmel Fire Department is first in state to purchase ‘exciting technology’
The Podmedic highlights three of his favorite products from EMS Today 2015
They filed a complaint with Rural/Metro, saying EMT got angry when asked to transport a man to the hospital and sat in the ambulance until his partner brought him back into the home
Jon Puryear presented an engaging and hands-on session that stressed understanding normal waveforms to recognize what’s abnormal
Wisconsin EMS Association speaker uses interactive and case-based learning to help EMS providers understand causes of abdominal pain
EMS providers need to understand anchoring, a type of cognitive bias, to prevent errors in prehospital patient assessment and care
The CO leak in a Wis. movie theater caused one woman to have a seizure and another to collapse
Careful assessment is important for EMS since alcohol poisoning kills six people in the U.S. each day; most deaths occur among middle-aged adults
Arrowhead EMS conference attendees sought out the best EMS products to improve patient care and enhance provider safety
You respond to a call for a cook that burned himself on a flat top grill; what are your first treatment steps
Sheriff’s officer alleges paramedic and ER doctor refused proper care to an intoxicated and injured man, saying he needed to “sleep it off”
4 Los Angeles police officers and 1 firefighter treated for CO exposure
Is EMS becoming too technical when it comes to patient care?
Md. medics transport 1 patient to hyperbaric unit for CO poisoning treatment
Once a patient is in the exam room, they can appear very different than the person EMS responded to on the street
Aberdeen fire and rescue looks for improvements with 15-lead ECG, invasive blood pressure monitoring, mechanical CPR, and impedance threshold devices
You respond to a female teenager complaining of headache, nausea, vomiting and dizziness; what is your “must not miss” diagnosis?
