Medical Patent Assessment

[xselerate]

Isn't it pretty important to get a history from the family so you have some background information when you get into the ER? Not at the cost of treating the patient, but while you're loading and going at least?

Right there.... that's where you got me to agree with you.... but I still agree with Dust that there isn't much I would ask except maybe when did it start, what were they doing, and what is the history. That should take about 20 seconds, you should be done giving o2 and be securing your straps.

[canuckEMT]

Also if the Pt is obviously presenting with obvious respiratory depression or tripoding, working to breathe etc, and there are family members there take them with you to answer Hx questions en-route. If the Pt is only able to speak in one to two word scentences you don't really want to make him/her speak anymore than necessary.

If you have a protocol for a pharmocological intervention, then fine, initiate while you are loading the Pt on your stretcher and transport with a family member.

[medik8]

So long as you get the information that you need to make a good decision when it comes to management of a problem, the alphabet soup you use to get there is really immaterial.

I like this....Good answer AZCEP! These pneumonics are provided as a helpful tool to learn to ask pertinent questions and to be thorough...but nothing replaces getting the job done and having the good common sense to know when to get the hell outta dodge. Covering all your bases is a good practice to be in...but when push comes to shove...it's not gonna matter when he first couldn't breathe, how bad it hurts, whether he had a ham sandwich for lunch, or when his last drink was. If he's not breathing, or he dies because you spent too much time on scene and not on patient care...it's kinda irrelevant. :roll:

8 :wink:

[AnthonyM83]

Right, it is there as something to fall back on, specifically for newbies, to give you some kind of linear guidance. Just like you dont follow SAMPLE from S to E on every call, but it sure comes in handy if you find yourself at a loss...something to keep you kind of grounded.

[Dustdevil]

Exactly. Three decades of paramedics have managed to elicit the very same information from their patients without a mnemonic device to prompt them along the way. I am all for anything that facilitates the learning process. Heck, ABC is the best thing to ever come along in medical education. But I really, really hope that these aren't becoming crutches for field practice. And I really, really hope that people aren't becoming so focused on working through these mnemonics that they lose sight of their primary purpose, which is to evaluate the patient's condition so that he might be treated.