Chapter 4

Question 1

base station

Answer 1

Any radio hardware containing a transmitter and receiver that is located in a fixed place

Question 2

cellular telephone

Answer 2

A low-power portable radio that communicates through an interconnected series of repeated stations called “cells”

Question 3

channel

Answer 3

An assigned frequency or frequencies that are used to carry voice and/or data communications

Question 4

close-ended questions

Answer 4

Questions that can be answered in short or single word responses

Question 5

communication

Answer 5

The transmission of information to another person-verbally or through body language

Question 6

cultural imposition

Answer 6

When one person imposes his or her beliefs, values, and practices on another because he or she believes his or her ideals are superior

Question 7

dedicated line

Answer 7

A special telephone line that is used for specific point-to-point communications; also known as a “hot line”

Question 8

documentation

Answer 8

The written portion of the EMT’s patient interaction. This becomes part of the patient’s permanent medical record.

Question 9

duplex

Answer 9

The ability to transmit and receive simultaneously

Question 10

ethnocentrism

Answer 10

When a person considers his or her own cultural values as more important when interacting with people of a different culture

Question 11

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

Answer 11

The federal agency that has jurisdiction over interstate and international telephone and telegraph services and satellite communications, all of which may involve EMS activity

Question 12

MED channels

Answer 12

VHF and UHF channels that the Federal Communications Commission has disignated exclusively for EMS use

Question 13

mobile data terminals (MDT)

Answer 13

Small computer terminals inside ambulances that directly receive data from the dispatch center

Question 14

noise

Answer 14

Anything that dampens or obscures the true meaning of a message

Question 15

open-ended questions

Answer 15

Questions for which the patient must provide detail to give an answer

Question 16

paging

Answer 16

The use of a radio signal and a voice or digital message that is transmitted to pagers (“beepers”) or desktop monitor radios

Question 17

patient care report (PCR)

Answer 17

The legal document used to record all patient care activities. This report has direct patient care functions but also administrative and quality control functions. PCRs are also known as prehospital care reports.

Question 18

proxemics

Answer 18

The study of space between people and its effects on communication

Question 19

rapport

Answer 19

A trusting relationship that you build with your patient

Question 20

repeater

Answer 20

A special base station radio that receives messages and signals on one frequency and then automatically retransmits them on a second frequency

Question 21

scanner

Answer 21

A radio receiver that searches or “scans” across several frequencies until the message is completed; the process is then repeated.

Question 22

simplex

Answer 22

Single-frequency radio; transmissions can occur in either direction but not simultaneously in both; when one party transmits, the other can only receive, and the party that is transmitting is unable to receive.

Question 23

standing orders

Answer 23

Written documents, signed by the EMS system’s medical director, that outline specific directions, permissions, and sometimes prohibitions regarding patient care; also called protocols

Question 24

telemetry

Answer 24

A process in which electronic signals are converted into coded, audible signals; these signals can then be transmitted by radio or telephone to a receiver with a decoder at the hospital

Question 25

therapeutic communication

Answer 25

Verbal and nonverbal communication techniques that encourage patients to express their feelings and to achieve a positive relationship

Question 26

trunking

Answer 26

Telecommunication systems that allow a computer to maximize utilization of a group of frequencies

Question 27

UHF (ultra-high frequency)

Answer 27

Radio frequencies between 300 and 3,000 MHz

Question 28

VHF (very high frequency)

Answer 28

Radio frequencies between 30 and 300 MHz; the VHF spectrum is further divided into “high” and “low” bands.