EMT Emergency Care 14th Edition Module #1: Chapter 1-7

Evidence- based techniques

Techniques or practices that are supported by scientific evidence of their safety and efficacy rather than merely by supposition and tradition.

Medical direction

Oversight of the patient care aspects of an ems system by the medical director. Direction can be either off or online

Medical director

a physician who assumes ultimate responsibility for the patient-care aspects of the EMS system

911 system

a system for telephone access to report emergencies. A dispatcher takes the information and alerts EMS or the fire or police departments as needed. Enhanced 911 has the additional capability of automatically identifying the caller's phone number and location.

off-line medical direction

Standing orders issued by the Medical Director that allow EMTs to give certain medications or perform certain procedures without speaking to the Medical Director or another physician.

patient outcomes

the long-term survival of patients

peer revviewed

submitted to a professional journal and reviewed by several of the researchers peers

protocols

lists of steps, such as assessments and interventions, to be taken in different situations. Protocols are developed by the Medical Director of an EMS system

Quality Improvement

a process of continual self-review with the purpose of identifying and correcting aspects of the system that require improvement

standing orders

policies or protocols issued by a medical director that authorize emts and others to preform particular skills in certain situations.

Contamination

The introduction of dangerous chemicals, disease, or infectious materials.

CISM or Critical incident stress management

A comprehensive system that includes education and resources to both prevent stress and deal with stress appropriately when it occurs.

decontamination

The removal or cleansing of dangerous chemicals and other dangerous or infectious materials.

hazardous material incident

the release of a harmful substance into the enviroment

Multiple-causality incident (MCI)

an emergency involving multiple patients

pathogens

the organisms that cause infection, such as viruses and bacteria

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Equipment that protects the EMS worker from infection and/or exposure to the dangers of rescue operations.

Standard Precautions

A strict form of infection control that is based on the assumption that all blood and other body fluids are infectious.

stress

a state of physical and/or psychological arousal to a stimulus

resillience

toughness, an ability to recover quickly from difficult situations

bariatric

having to do with patients who are significantly overweight or obese

body mechanics

the proper use of the body to facilitate lifting and moving and prevent injury

direct carry

a method of transferring a patient from bed to stretcher, during which two or more rescuers curl the patient to their chests, then reverse the process to lower the patient to the stretcher

direct ground lift

A method of lifting and carrying a patient from ground level to a stretcher in which two or more rescuers kneel, curl the patient to their chests, stand, then reverse the process to lower the patient to the stretcher

draw-sheet method

a method of transferring a patient from bed to stretcher by grasping and pulling the loosened bottom sheet of the bed

extremity lift

A method of lifting and carrying a patient during which one rescuer slips hands under the patient's armpits and grasps the wrists, while another rescuer grasps the patient's knees.

power grip

gripping with as much hand surface as possible in contact with the object being lifted, all fingers bent at the same angle, and hands at least 10 inches apart

power lift

A lift from a squatting position with weight to be lifted close to the body, feet apart and flat on the ground, body weight on or just behind the balls of the feet, and back locked in. The upper body is raised before the hips. Also called the squat-lift position.

Abandonment

Leaving a patient after care has been initiated and before the patient has been transferred to someone with equal or greater medical training.

advance directives

A legal document designed to indicate a person's wishes regarding care in case of a terminal illness or during the dying process ( a DNR order)

assault

placing a person in fear of bodily harm

battery

causing bodily harm to or restraining a person

confidentiality

The obligation not to reveal information obtained about a patient except to other health care professionals involved in the patient's care, or under subpoena, or in a court of law, or when the patient has signed a release of confidentiality.

consent

permission from the patient for care or other action by the EMT

crime scene

The location where a crime has been committed or any place that evidence relating to a crime may be found.

do not resuscitate (DNR) order

a legal document, usually signed by the patient and their physician which states that the patient has a terminal illness and does not want to prolong through the resuscitative efforts

duty to act

an obligation to provide care to a patient

ethical

regarding a social system or social or professional expectations for applying principles of right and wrong

expressed consent

consent given by adults who are of legal age and mentally competent to make a rational decision in regard to their medical well-being

Good Samaritan Law

A series of laws, varying in each state, designed to provide limited legal protection for citizens and some health care personnel when they are administering emergency care.

HIPPA

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability act. A federal law protecting the privacy of patient-specific health care information and providing the patient with control over how this information is used and distributed

implied consent

the consent is presumed a patient or patient's parent or guardian would give if they could,

such as for an unconscious patient or a parent who cannot be contacted when care is needed.

in loco parentis

in place of a parent, indicating a person who may give consent for care of a child when the parents are not present or able to give consent

liability

being held legally responsible

libel

false injurious information in written form

moral

regarding personal standards or principles of right and wrong

negligence

a finding that there was failure to act properly in a situation in which there was a duty to act.

organ donor

a person who has completed a legal document that allows for donation of organs and tissues in the event of death

physician orders for life sustaining treatment (polst)

Physician orders that state not only the patients wishes regarding resuscitation attempts but also the patients wishes regarding artificial feeding, antibiotics, and other life sustaining care if the person is unable to state the desires later .

Res Ipsa Loquitur

"the thing speaks for itself"; the doctrine that suggests negligence can be presumed if an event happens that would not ordinarily happen unless someone was negligent

Safe Haven Law

a law that permits a person to drop off an infant or child at a police, fire, or EMS station or to deliver the infant or child to any available public safety personnel. The intent of the law is to protect children who may otherwise be abandoned or harmed.

scope of practice

a set of regulations and ethical considerations that define the scope or extent and limit of the EMT's job

slander

false injurious information stated verbally

standard of care

for an EMT providing care for a specific patient in a specific situation, the care that would be expected to be provided by an EMT with similar training when caring for a patient in a similar situation

tort

a civil, not a criminal, offense; an action or injury caused by negligence from which a lawsuit may arise

Abdonimal Quadrants

four divisions of the abdomen used to pinpoint the location of a pain or injury: right upper , left upper, right lower, left lower

anatomical position

standard reference position used for describing locations and directions on the human body In this position the body is standing erect, facing the observer, with arms down at the sides and the palms of the hands forward

anatomy

the study of body structire

anterior

the front of the body or body part

bilater

both sides

combining form

A word root with an added vowel that can be joined with other words, roots, or suffixes to form a new word.

compound

a word formed from two or more whole words

distsal

farther away from torso

dorsal

back of the body or back of the bodypart

fowler

sitting position

inferior

away from the head

lateral

to the side, away from the midline of the body

medial

toward the midline of the body

midaxillary line

a line drawn vertically from the middle of the armpit to the ankle

midclavicular line

the line through the center of each clavicle

midline

an imaginary line drawn down the center of the body dividing it into right and left halves

palmer

referring to the palm of the hand

physiology

the study of body function

plane

a flat surface formed when slicing though a solid object

plantar

referring to the sole of the foot

posterior

the back of the body or body part

prefix

word part added to the beginning of a word

prone

lying face down

proximal

Closer to the origin of the body part or the point of attachment of a limb to the body trunk

recovery position

lying on the side. also called the lateral recumbent position

root

foundation of the word

suffix

word part added to the end

superior

towards the head

supine

lying on back

TORSO

THE TRUNK OF THE BODY

unilateral

limited to one side

ventral

referring to the front of the body. a synonym for anterior

acetabelum

the pelvic socket into which the ball at the proximal end of the femur fits to form the hip joint

acromioclavicular joint

the joint where the acromion and the clavicle meet

acromonion

the highest portion of the shoulder

alveoli

the microscopic sacs of the lungs where gas exchange with the bloodstream takes place

anatomy

the study of body structure

aorta

the largest artery in the body. It transports blood from the left ventricle to begin systemic circulation

appendix

a small tube located near the junction of the small and large intestines in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen, the function of which is not well understood. Its inflammation, called appendicitis, is a common cause of abdominal pain.

arteriole

the smallest kind of artery

artery

any blood vessel carrying blood away from the heart

atria

the two upper chambers of the heart (right and left)

automaticity

the ability of the heart to generate and conduct electrical impulses on its own

autonomic nervous system

the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls involuntary motor functions

bladder

the round saclike organ or the renal system used as a reservoir for urine