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Prehospital Emergency Care Practice Test: Vital Signs, Monitoring Devices, and History Taking
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EMTs use a variety of devices to monitor vital signs, including: stethoscope, thermometer, sphygmomanometer, pulse oximeter, external defibrillator, chest compressor, blood pressure cuff, cardiac monitoring device, tweezers, forceps, magnifiers, and penlights.  The five vital signs that EMTs obtain are: respiration, pulse, skin, blood pressure, and pupils.  Some literature suggests considering pulse oximetry as the sixth vital sign.  Vital signs are a crucial aspect of physiotherapy assessment, screening for potential red flags, and to guide treatment.  Here are some of the seven vital... Show more
Prehospital Emergency Care Practice Test: Vital Signs, Monitoring Devices, and History Taking
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25 Questions

1. A patient who was shoveling snow developed chest pain, immediately sat down in a nearby bus shelter, and called 911. Prior to moving him into the ambulance, your partner performs a primary assessment and reports that the patient's capillary refill is 5 seconds. Which of these would be an appropriate statement for you to make?
2. An alert and oriented 87-year-old female patient has fallen and suffered a 3-cm laceration to the back of her head. According to the patient, her walker became caught in the carpet, causing her to trip. When obtaining a medical history, who should the EMT address first?
3. Medical direction has asked that you obtain orthostatic vital signs for a 54-year-old female patient who complains of dizziness and weakness. Her baseline vital signs obtained while she was sitting in a chair were pulse, 84; respirations, 26 breaths/min; blood pressure, 118/62 mmHg; and SpO2, 95%. Which one set of vital signs upon reassessment would indicate that this patient has a positive orthostatic test?
4. A patient states that he is short of breath, is light-headed, and has chest pain that worsens when he takes a deep breath. Assessment reveals an open airway, adequate breathing, and a rapid pulse of 120 beats/min. The patient's skin is hot to the touch, and he has a blood pressure of 116/84 mmHg. The patient informs you that he was diagnosed with pneumonia 3 days ago and has not been taking the prescribed antibiotics. Which of these assessment findings would the EMT best recognize as a sign related to the patient's chief complaint?
5. Which of these questions would be asked when obtaining a medical history, using the SAMPLE mnemonic, for a female patient who is crying and complaining of dizziness?
6. Which of these blood pressures represents diastolic hypertension in an adult patient?
7. You are assessing a female patient with a complaint of shortness of breath. When assessing her skin, which finding should be recognized as abnormal?
8. Which step should be taken by the EMT to obtain an accurate pulse oximetry measurement?
9. When obtaining a medical history using the SAMPLE mnemonic, which of these statements relates to the 'P' component?
10. A female patient called 911 when she noticed blood in her stool, and became scared and anxious. Her pulse rate is 124 and her blood pressure is 88/60 mmHg. After you get her vital signs, she nervously asks you how they are. Given her anxiety, you should:
11. You determine a patient's heart rate to be 48 beats/min. That heart rate would be categorized as:
12. As you enter the scene of a medical emergency, the Emergency Medical Responder informs you that the patient is not breathing and has pupils that are fixed and dilated. Based on this description, what do you expect to see when you reach the patient's side?
13. A mother has called 911 because her 2-year-old daughter is fussy and not eating. When assessing the toddler, what would be the best indication of her perfusion status?
14. What is the name of the pulse that is palpated in the groin area?
15. When you are obtaining the blood pressure of a patient in a standing position, the patient states that he suddenly feels weak and is going to pass out. Your immediate action should be to:
16. Which pulse site is commonly palpated during the process of obtaining a blood pressure by the palpation technique?
17. An EMT has an accurate understanding of diastolic blood pressure when she tells you that diastolic pressure:
18. How should the EMT document a pulse oximetry reading on the prehospital care report?
19. Which of these statements made by a patient would the EMT regard as a symptom?
20. You have been dispatched to a residence for a 14-year-old female patient complaining of abdominal pain. As you enter the living room, you see the conscious patient lying on a couch with her father and an Emergency Medical Responder at her side. Which action should the EMT perform first?
21. An EMT has accurately checked the skin color of a dark-skinned patient. How would this finding be best documented on a patient care report?
22. After you apply the pulse oximeter to a patient who complains of chest discomfort, she asks you what you are assessing. You would respond by telling her that the pulse oximeter:
23. Which of these statements indicates an appropriate understanding of palpating a blood pressure?
24. An EMT student asks you if it matters whether the blood pressure cuff seems too small for a patient, if a reading can still be obtained. You should respond:
25. When obtaining vital signs for a 67-year-old male patient with dizziness and nausea, your partner states that the pulse seems to disappear periodically when the patient takes a deep breath. As a knowledgeable EMT, your best response would be:

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