Chapter 4 communications and documentation

A ___________ receives messages and signals on one frequency and then automatically retransmits them on a second frequency.

Select one:

A. decoder

B. scanner

C. repeater

D. duplex

C. repeater

A patient's refusal of EMS treatment and/or transport must be:

Select one:

A. authorized by a judge.

B. an informed refusal.

C. witnessed by a notary.

D. reported to the police.

B. an informed refusal.

All information recorded on the PCR must be:

Select one:

A. a matter of public record.

B. considered confidential.

C. typewritten or printed.

D. reflective of your opinion.

B. considered confidential.

Any radio hardware containing a transmitter and a receiver that is located in a fixed location is called a:

Select one:

A. base station.

B. mobile radio.

C. multiplex.

D. repeater.

A. base station.

As you are wheeling your patient through the emergency department doors, you receive another call for a major motor vehicle crash. You should:

Select one:

A. inform the admissions clerk of the situation and then respond at once.

B. respond only after giving a verbal patient report to a nurse or physician.

C. place the patient in a high-visibility area and then respond to the call.

D. leave a copy of the run form with a nurse and then respond to the call.

B. respond only after giving a verbal patient report to a nurse or physician.

Calming and reassuring an anxious patient can be facilitated by:

Select one:

A. using medical terminology to ensure the patient understands.

B. positioning yourself at a level that is higher than the patient.

C. maintaining eye contact with the patient whenever possible.

D. withholding unpleasant information until arrival at the hospital.

C. maintaining eye contact with the patient whenever possible.

Communicating with hearing-impaired patients can be facilitated by doing all of the following, except:

Select one:

A. elevating the tone of your voice and exaggerating word pronunciation.

B. placing yourself in a position to ensure that the patient can see your lips.

C. shining a light on your face when you are in a darkened environment.

D. providing pen and paper if the patient prefers to write his or her response.

A. elevating the tone of your voice and exaggerating word pronunciation

During the alert and dispatch phase of EMS communications, the dispatcher's responsibilities include all of the following, except:

Select one:

A. selecting and notifying the correct EMS response units and personnel.

B. screening and assigning a priority to each call based on local protocols.

C. discouraging the caller from providing care until the EMS unit arrives.

D. coordinating responding EMS units with other public safety personnel.

C. discouraging the caller from providing care until the EMS unit arrives.

Ethnocentrism is defined as:

Select one:

A. suspecting that a person has an ulterior motive based on the tone of his or her voice when answering a question.

B. subconsciously forcing your cultural values onto a patient because you believe that your own values are more acceptable.

C. understanding that people from different cultural backgrounds respond to pain and stress differently.

D. considering your own cultural values as more important when interacting with people of a different culture.

D. considering your own cultural values as more important when interacting with people of a different culture.

In which of the following manners should you act and speak with a patient?

Select one:

A. Calm and confident

B. Authoritative

C. Passive

D. Loud and official

A. Calm and confident

The patient care report (PCR) ensures:

Select one:

A. continuity of care.

B. availability of research data.

C. quality assurance.

D. legal protection.

A. continuity of care.

Two-way communication that requires the EMT to "push to talk" and "release to listen" describes which mode of communication?

Select one:

A. Simplex

B. Duplex

C. Complex

D. Multiplex

A. Simplex

When communicating with a visually impaired patient, you should:

Select one:

A. expect the patient to have difficulty understanding.

B. recall that most visually impaired patients are blind.

C. possess an in-depth knowledge of sign language.

D. determine the degree of the patient's impairment.

D. determine the degree of the patient's impairment.

When providing a patient report via radio, you should protect the patient's privacy by:

Select one:

A. not disclosing his or her name.

B. using coded medical language.

C. withholding medical history data.

D. refraining from objective statements.

A. not disclosing his or her name.

When relaying patient information via radio, communications should be:

Select one:

A. spoken in a loud voice.

B. lengthy and complete.

C. coded and scripted.

D. brief and easily understood.

D. brief and easily understood.

Which of the following incidents does not require a report to be filed with local authorities?

Select one:

A. Cardiac arrest

B. Gunshot wounds

C. Animal bites

D. Spousal abuse

A. Cardiac arrest

Which of the following statements regarding communication with a child is correct?

Select one:

A. Most children are intrigued by strangers wearing uniforms.

B. Unlike adults, children cannot see through lies or deceptions.

C. Standing over a child often increases his or her level of anxiety.

D. The EMT should give the child minimal information to avoid scaring him or her.

C. Standing over a child often increases his or her level of anxiety.

Which type of communications equipment functions as a radio receiver and searches across several frequencies?

Select one:

A. Simplex station

B. Duplex station

C. Scanner

D. Mobile repeater

C. Scanner

You are caring for a 52-year-old man who complains of chest discomfort. The patient is a retired paramedic and is very anxious because he thinks he is having a heart attack. Which of the following statements would be appropriate?

Select one:

A. "This is nothing to worry about. Please try to stay calm. The physician at the hospital will probably not find any signs of a heart problem."

B. "It is possible that you are experiencing a heart attack. I am going to give you four baby aspirin to chew and swallow."

C. "We need to take you to the ED stat. We will give you ASA and NTG en route and then reassess your vitals. Do you have any questions?"

D. "I notice that you are a retired paramedic, so I'm sure you will understand all of the things that we will be doing to you."

B. "It is possible that you are experiencing a heart attack. I am going to give you four baby aspirin to chew and swallow."

You could be sued for ___________ if your radio report to the hospital describes the patient in a manner that injures his or her reputation.

Select one:

A. negligence

B. slander

C. assault

D. libel

B. slander

When you begin an oral report, you should state the patient's age, sex, and:

Select one:

A. chief complaint.

B. past medical history.

C. any known allergies.

D. the emergency care given.

A. chief complaint.

The official transfer of patient care does not occur until the EMT:

Select one:

A. gives a radio report to the receiving medical facility.

B. notifies the admitting clerk of the patient's arrival at the hospital.

C. informs dispatch of the patient's arrival at the emergency department.

D. gives an oral report to the emergency room physician or nurse.

D. gives an oral report to the emergency room physician or nurse.

Information included in a radio report to the receiving hospital should include all of the following, except:

Select one:

A. a brief summary of the care you provided.

B. a brief history of the patient's current problem.

C. your perception of the severity of the problem.

D. a preliminary diagnosis of the patient's problem.

D. a preliminary diagnosis of the patient's problem.

Typical components of an oral patient report include all of the following, except:

Select one:

A. the patient's response to treatment you provided.

B. important medical history not previously given.

C. the chief complaint or mechanism of injury.

D. the set of baseline vital signs taken at the scene.

D. the set of baseline vital signs taken at the scene.

Which of the following is not a function of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)?

Select one:

A. Maintaining communications equipment on the ambulance

B. Licensing base stations and assigning appropriate radio call signs

C. Allocating specific radio frequencies for use by EMS providers

D. Monitoring all radio traffic and conducting field spot checks

A. Maintaining communications equipment on the ambulance

Medical control gives you an order that seems inappropriate for the patient's condition. After confirming that you heard the physician correctly, you should:

Select one:

A. obtain consent from the patient and then carry out the order as usual.

B. advise the physician that the order is unclear and ask for clarification.

C. state that you will not carry out the order because it is inappropriate.

D. carry out the order and then carefully document it on the run form.

B. advise the physician that the order is unclear and ask for clarification

When communicating information over the radio, you should:

Select one:

A. respond professionally by saying "please" and "thank you."

B. use the words "affirmative" and "negative" instead of "yes" or "no."

C. use the patient's name only when communicating with the hospital.

D. limit any single transmission to 60 seconds or less and use 10 codes.

B. use the words "affirmative" and "negative" instead of "yes" or "no."

Your EMS system uses a computerized PCR in which you fill in the information electronically and then send it to the emergency department via a secure Internet server. The PCR has a comprehensive series of drop-down boxes, which are used to identify your assessment findings and specify the treatment that you provided; it also has a section for your narrative. When completing your PCR after a call, you should:

Select one:

A. complete a thorough and accurate narrative because drop-down boxes cannot provide all of the information that needs to be documented.

B. enter all of the pertinent information of the electronic PCR, but then print it out and provide a copy to the emergency department staff.

C. avoid documenting personally identifiable information, such as the patient's name, because the PCR could be intercepted during transmission.

D. defer the narrative only if the information in the drop-down boxes accurately reflects the assessment and treatment that you performed.

A. complete a thorough and accurate narrative because drop-down boxes cannot provide all of the information that needs to be documented.

You and your partner are dispatched to a residence for an "ill person." When you arrive, you find that the patient, a 44-year-old man, does not speak English. There are no relatives or bystanders present who can act as an interpreter. You should:

Select one:

A. refrain from performing any assessment or treatment until you can contact someone who can function as an interpreter.

B. give the patient oxygen, assess his vital signs, and transport him to the hospital in a position of comfort.

C. speak to the patient with a moderately louder voice to facilitate his ability to understand what you are saying.

D. use short, simple questions and point to specific parts of your body to try to determine the source of the patient's complaint.

D. use short, simple questions and point to specific parts of your body to try to determine the source of the patient's complaint.

After being dispatched on an emergency call, you should expect the dispatcher to provide you with all of the following information, except:

Select one:

A. the nature of the injury, illness, or incident.

B. the number of patients involved in the incident.

C. the general geographic location of the incident.

D. other agencies that are responding to the scene.

C. the general geographic location of the incident.