Chapter 5 Flashcards
Throughout a radio transmission to the dispatch center, the Emergency Medical Technician periodically uses the term “break.” You should recognize this to mean she is:
Purposely pausing her transmission
Which statement is most appropriate to relay after establishing radio contact with the destination emergency department to which you are transporting a patient?
“En route to your facility with a 73-year-old male complaining of dizziness.”
You are returning from a call when you pass an apartment building with flames coming from several windows on the top story. You see several occupants trapped and hanging out of the windows, screaming for help. Which radio transmission is most appropriate when advising dispatch of the situation?
“Central communications from Unit 118, how do you copy?”
During which situation is it typically not necessary for the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) to contact dispatch first with a request or question?
When the EMT needs to get medical approval to administer a medication
What should be your first suspicion on why a portable radio suddenly fails to operate normally while on the scene of an emergency?
Dead battery
You pull up to the scene of a one-car motor vehicle collision and find an off-duty emergency department physician from a local hospital treating the patient. What is the best way to initially communicate with the doctor?
“Hello, doctor. We are EMTs. How can we help?”
Which phrase best illustrates the Emergency Medical Technician using the summary technique of therapeutic communication with a patient experiencing depression?
“From your story, it seems that you have been depressed for several weeks now.”
A 42-year-old female complains of shortness of breath. Which question would best assist you in getting additional information about the patient’s chief complaint?
“You appear to be short of breath. Are you also having other problems?”
Which of these is an open-ended question?
“Can you describe the pain to me?”
A patient denies difficulty breathing but displays signs of respiratory distress. You state, “I know that you said you are breathing fine, but you cannot speak more than two to three words at a time without gasping for air.” Your response is an example of:
Confrontation
Which of the following is a disadvantage in using a cell (or mobile) phones as an emergency backup communication system?
Cell (mobile) phones may not be effective in disaster situations.
A 31-year-old female with a history of depression took some pills in a suicide attempt. Her husband is visibly upset and her three young children are crying as you place her into the ambulance. The patient is conscious and stable as you transport her to the hospital. During the transport, she tearfully states she did not mean to take the pills and asks if she is going to die. In regard to therapeutic communication, what would be your best response?
“You are stable right now and we are transporting you for continued care so you can get better.”
A patient who was complaining of a headache is being transported to the hospital. After you provide a report to the emergency department, the patient begins to unexpectedly seize. The seizure lasts for 1-2 minutes and then stops, but now you notice the patient’s eyes have become unequal in size. You are still 5 minutes from the hospital. After providing care for the seizure, your next action should be to:
Call the hospital and inform its staff of the seizure
When relying on a cell (mobile) phone for medical communications, the Emergency Medical Technician realizes that:
He should use the same format of communication as used for radio transmissions.
Over the next three days, your ambulance service will be getting new and improved mobile radios. As an emergency medical technician with knowledge of communication equipment, you realize that:
New radios will be installed in all of the ambulances.
Which statement is most appropriate to start with when transferring a patient to the emergency department and giving the oral report?
“This is Mr. Hedger. He has the state insurance plan.”
Which statement reflects the most appropriate way to alert a receiving hospital that you are en route with a patient?
“St. Elizabeth Hospital, this is BLS ambulance 104. How do you copy?”
Currently, there is a debate within your organization regarding the use of codes in your medical communications and radio traffic. As you are in favor of using plain English and doing away with codes, a strong argument to justify this position would be:
Some medical information can be too complex for a simple code system.
How should the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) respond when first making contact with an alert and oriented patient who complains of chest pain?
“My name is Charles Smith, and I am an EMT. Can I help you?”
What is an effective way to improve communication with patients from most cultures?
Maintain eye contact
An advantage to asking the patient close-ended questions is that this practice offers a(n):
Ability to get medical information very quickly
While you are returning from lunch, a frantic woman flags you down and states that she just found a young child on the roadside who appears to have been hit by a car. She is not sure if the child is breathing. You should immediately:
Advise dispatch that you have been flagged down for a possible emergency, and state your location.
When providing a lengthy radio report, the most important reason to pause every 30 seconds is so that:
Other people can use the radio for emergency transmissions that may arise.
The wife of a 57-year-old male called 911 because her husband had chest pain. Which piece of information would be included in your SBAR report to the hospital during transport?
“I am thinking that the patient would benefit from 324 mg of aspirin.”
