EMT Emergency Care 14th Edition Chapter 2

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 environment

Multiple-casualty 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

resilience

toughness, an ability to recover quickly from difficult situations

while providing care for a 45-year-old female who has a fever of unknown origin, you may have been exposed to an organism that causes infection. such an organism is referred to as

pathogen

procedures that protect you from the blood and body fluids of the patient and protect the patient from your blood and body fluids are referred to as:

standard precautions

to provide the appropriate level of precautions to protect from infectious disease in the field, the EMT may need to use:

disposable gloves and eye protection

when an EMT covers a patient's mouth and nose with a mask to prevent the spread of airborne disease, the EMT should

monitor the patient's respiration and airway closely

the emt can plan safety precautions in advance of the call in all of the following ways EXCEPT by:

a. keeping his or her tetanus immunization current

b. maintaining a list of communicable patients in your district

c. obtaining a flu shot

d. obtaining the hepatitis B vaccine

maintaining a list of communicable patients in your district

all EMT's who work or volunteer for an ambulance service or first responder agency should be immunized with all of the following vaccines except:

a. tetanus

b. hepatitis B.

c. tuberculin skin test (TST)

d. influenza

tuberculin skin test (TST)

a federal organization responsible for issuing guidelines for employee safety around bloodborne pathogens is (the):

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

Every employer of EMTs must provide all employees, free of charge, a:

hepatitis B vaccination

the federal act that establishes procedures by which emergency response workers can find out whether they have been exposed to life-threatening infectious diseases is:

the Ryan White Care Act

After contact with the blood or bodily fluids of a patient, an EMT should submit a request for a determination of exposure to his or her

designated officer

Sometimes EMT does not have complete SAMPLE history for every patient when deciding which level of Standard Precaution to utilize. Always assume that any person with _________ has ________

a productive cough; TB

From an EMT's perspective, what do the diseases chicken pox, German measles, and whooping cough have in common?

they are all spread by airborne droplets

the EMT can safeguard his or her well-being by:

A. understanding and dealing with job stress

B. ensuring scene safety

c. practicing Standard Precautions

d. all of these

all of these

all of the following are examples of calls that have a high potential for causing acute stress reactions in the EMT EXCEPT:

a. trauma to multiple children

b. an adult with femur fracture

c. a plane crash with many victims

d. death or serious injury of a coworker

an adult with femur fracture

you should be aware of the signs that you, your crew, or your patients may be affected by stress. some warning signs that an emt is being affected by stress include

indecisiveness and guilt

all of the following are lifestyle changes that may benefit an EMT in preventing and dealing with EMS job stress EXCEPt

a. developing more healthful and positive dietary habits

b. devoting time to relax

c. exercising

d. avoiding discussion about feelings

avoiding discussion about feelings

after the crash of a van in which 6 children were severely injured, the EMS Director conferred with the Medical Director and they decided to set up a meeting of all the providers who were involved in the call; a meeting held by a team of peer counselors and mental health professionals within 24-72 hours after an incident like this is called an:

critical incident stress debriefing

a smaller meeting conducted within a few hours with the rescuers who were directly involved I the most stressful aspects of a call is called a :

defusing session

most medical professionals and EMS leaders agree that the best course of action for an EMT who is experiencing significant stress from a serious call that involved multiple deaths is to:

seek help from a mental health professional who is experienced in these issues

a patient who finds out that he or she is dying may go through which of the following emotional stages:

a. anger and laughter

b. denial and empathy

c. depression and acceptance

d. bargaining and elation

depression and acceptance

as an EMT, you have been assigned to take a terminally ill patient back and forth to radiation therapy on multiple trips for the past few weeks. you have come to know the patient and realize that he has been going through emotional stages that fall roughly in the following order:

denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance

AN EMT will occasionally need to assist the patient who has a terminal illness. Experts suggest all of the following except:

a. listening empathetically to the patient

b. telling the patient that everything will be fine

c. being tolerant of angry reactions from the patient or family members

d. trying to recognize the patient's needs

telling the patient that everything will be fine

you are on call that suddenly becomes violent to you and your crew; all of the following words sum up actions required to respond to danger except:

a. plan

b. observe

c. run

d. react

run

the body's response to stress was studies by a Canadian physician named Dr. Hans Selye. He found that there is a(n)

general adaptation syndrome

the phases of adaptation to stress include alarm, exhaustion, and:

resistance

a stress reaction that involves either physical or psychological behavior manifested days or weeks after an incident is called:

posttraumatic stress disorder

if you suspect your patient may have active tuberculosis, when transporting it is appropriate for the EMT to:

a. wear disposable gloves

b. wear an eye shield

c. wear N-95 or HEPA mask

d. all of the above

all of the above

the normal code of transmission of the disease chickenpox (varicella) is thought to be through:

airborne droplets

each of the following diseases is thought to be spread by respiratory secretions or oral or nasal secretions except

a. hepatitis

b. bacterial meningitis

c. pneumonia

d. influenza

hepatitis

a disease that mothers are thought to be able to pass to their unborn children is:

AIDS

the patient that you are assessing has a respiratory complaint and is running a fever; he also complains of chills and just got back from a region of Africa where ebola is prevalent; what is the incubation period for this disease?

2 to 21 days

on closer examination of the patient described in the previous question, after taking the appropriate level of PPE, you note that the patient has signs that would be considered "late signs" such as:

extensive bruising

you respond to a motor vehicle crash involving an overturned propane truck. which of the following is an excellent resource to assist you with determining a safe distance to park your ambulance?

Emergency Response Guidebook

when arriving at the scene of a call where you suspect danger, the best policy would be to

call for a police backup to secure the scene

the eSCAPe curriculum is designed to help patients and EMS providers deal with posttraumatic stress. what does the "A" stand for?

Anticipate (what happens next)

list 5 types of calls with a high potential of stress for EMS personnel

1. multiple-casualty incidents

2. calls involving infants and children

3. severe injuries

4. abuse and neglect

5. death of a coworker

list 5 signs or symptoms of stress

1. irritability with family, friends, and coworkers

2. inability to concentrate

3. changes in daily activities

4. loss of interest in sexual activity

5. anxiety

6. isolation

7. loss of interest in work

8. loss of appetite

9. difficulty sleeping

10. guilt

11. indecisiveness

list 5 of the 8 critical elements of the standard Title 29 Code of Federal Regulation 1910.1030.

1. infection exposure control plan

2. adequate education and training

3. hepatitis B vaccination

4. personal protective equipment

5. methods of control

6. housekeeping

7. labeling

8. post exposure evaluation and follow-up

list four factors to address in planning for a potentially violent call

1. wear safe clothing

2. prepare your equipment so it is not cumbersome

3. carry a portable radio whenever possible

4. decide on safety roles