Chapter 4

Question 0

cellular telephone

Answer 0

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

Question 1

base station

Answer 1

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

Question 2

channel

Answer 2

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

Question 3

close-ended questions

Answer 3

Questions that can be answered in short or single word responses.

Question 4

communication

Answer 4

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

Question 5

cultural imposition

Answer 5

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

Question 6

dedicated line

Answer 6

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

Question 7

documentation

Answer 7

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

Question 8

duplex

Answer 8

The ability to transmit and receive simultaneously.

Question 9

ethnocentrism

Answer 9

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

Question 10

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

Answer 10

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 11

MED channels

Answer 11

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

Question 12

mobile data terminals (MDT)

Answer 12

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

Question 13

noise

Answer 13

Anything that dampens or obscures the true meaning of a message.

Question 14

open-ended questions

Answer 14

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

Question 15

paging

Answer 15

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

Question 16

patient care report (PCR)

Answer 16

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 know as prehospital care reports.

Question 17

proxemics

Answer 17

The study of space between people and its effects on communication.

Question 18

rapport

Answer 18

A trusting relationship that you build with your patient.

Question 19

repeater

Answer 19

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

Question 20

scanner

Answer 20

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

Question 21

simplex

Answer 21

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 22

standing orders

Answer 22

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

Question 23

telemetry

Answer 23

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 24

therapeutic communication

Answer 24

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

Question 25

trunking

Answer 25

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

Question 26

UHF (ultra-high frequency)

Answer 26

Radio frequencies between 300 and 3000 MHz.

Question 27

VHF (very high frequency)

Answer 27

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