You arrive on the scene of a motor vehicle collision and are presented with a patient who complains of chest pain after striking his chest on the steering wheel. On-scene Emergency Medical Responders are maintaining cervical spine motion restriction manually. The patient is alert and oriented and has a patent airway. His respirations are 24 breaths/min with good chest rise and fall, and his skin is warm and dry. He describes some shortness of breath, his heart rate is 96 beats/min, and his SpO2 is 92% on room air. At this time you should:

Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) assess patients to determine if they are sick and if there are any life threats. The assessment is broken down into five blocks: Scene safety: This block includes: BSI, Standard precautions, Environment, No hazards noted - Primary survey: This is the first part of the assessment and should be completed in 10–15 minutes. It includes: Scene size up, Personal protective equipment (PPE) for body substance isolation (BSI), General impression of the patient, Determine level of consciousness (LOC), Determine chief complaint (CC) and any life threats - History... Show more

Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) assess patients to determine if they are sick and if there are any life threats. The assessment is broken down into five blocks:
Scene safety: This block includes: BSI, Standard precautions, Environment, No hazards noted

- Primary survey: This is the first part of the assessment and should be completed in 10–15 minutes. It includes: Scene size up, Personal protective equipment (PPE) for body substance isolation (BSI), General impression of the patient, Determine level of consciousness (LOC), Determine chief complaint (CC) and any life threats
- History taking or Chief Complaint Assessment
- Vital Signs
- Treatment and Reassessment

The primary assessment includes identifying immediate life threats through the ABCs:
Airway: Assess for problems such as an airway obstruction or an airway occluded by blood or vomit
Breathing: Assess the patient's ability to ventilate and oxygenate
Circulation: Assess the patient's ability to perform internal respiration 

Other tips for EMTs include:
Look at the whole patient
Decide whether to oxygenate or ventilate
Determine shock
Search for the signs of Beck's triad
Check for Cushing's triad
Recognize that not all wheezes are asthma
List the causes of altered mental status 

Show less