EMT Acronyms

PENMAN

• Personnel/Personnel Safety

• Environmental Hazards

• Number of Patients

• Mechanism of Injury/Nature of Illness

• Additional Resources

• Need for Extrication/C-Spine

  Used for EMT Scene Size Up

OPQRST

• Onset

• Provocation

• Quality

• Radiation

• Severity

• Time

  Used for pt. assessment

SAMPLE

• Signs and Symptoms

• Allergies

• Medications

• Past Medical History

• Last Oral Intake

• Events Leading Up to Incident

  Used for pt. secondary assessment

AEIOUTIPS

• Alcohol

• Epilepsy/Eclampsia (Seizures in pregnant woman)

• Insulin

• Overdose/Oxygen

• Uremia (Build up of waste in blood due to kidney failure)

• Trauma

• Infection

• Psychosis/Poisoning

• Stroke/Shock

  Used for pts. with altered mental status

AVPU

• Alert

• Verbal

• Painful

• Unresponsive

  Used to determine pt. level of consciousness

Orientation

• Person

• Place

• Time

• Event

  Used along with pts. who are “alert” to determine pt. level of consciousness

PRBELLSSS

• Pulse

• Respiration

• Blood Pressure

• Eyes

• Lung Sounds

• Levels of Consciousness

• Skin Signs

• Sugar

• SpO2

  Used for pt. vitals

General Impression

• Age

• Sex

• Level of Distress

• Position

• Major Hemorrhaging

  Quick pt. assessment on first contact to help determine the patient's condition

DDICE

• Drug

• Dose

• Integrity

• Clarity

• Expiration

  Used when administering drugs to pt.

6 Rights

• Right Patient

• Right Drug

• Right Dose

• Right Route

• Right Time

• Right Documentation

  Essential principles to ensure safe medication administration in emergency medicine

J-STEAM

• Jugular Vein Distension (Abnormally bulging veins in neck)

• Stoma (Surgically created opening in neck)

• Tracheal Deviation (Trachea positioned away from midline)

• Subcutaneous EMPHYSEMA (Air trapped under the skin)

• Accessory muscle use

• Medical Tag

  Used to identify pt. respiratory distress

DR GERM

• Distension (Abdomen protruding or very large)

• Rigidity (Squeezing stomach and it’s hard)

• Guarding (Bracing when you touch the abdomen)

• Evisceration (Abdomen organs outside of abdomen)

• Rebound Tenderness (Pain upon release of pressure of abdomen)

• Pulsating Masses (Palpate the abdomen and you feel mass)

  Used to assess pt. abdomen

APGAR

• Appearance

• Pulse

• Grimace

• Activity

• Respirations

  On a 0-2 scale used to assess neonatal pts.

FAST

• Facial Droop

• Arm Drift

• Slurred Speech

• Time

  Used to assess pts. with possible strokes

PERRL

• Pupils

• Equal

• Round

• Reactive

• to Light

  Used to asses pts. eyes

CLOT

• Cover pt.

• Lay Supine

• Oxygenate

• Transport

  Used to assess pts. going through shock

DCAP BTLS TIC

• Deformities

• Contusion

• Abrasions

• Punctures

• Burns

• Tenderness

• Lacerations

• Swelling

• Tenderness

• Instability

• Crepitus

  Used for assessing trauma pts

PPEBBLE

• Para / Gravida

• Prenatal Care

• Expected Complications

• Bags of Water

• Bowel Movement

• Length of Contractions

• Expected Due Dates

  Used for assessing pregnancy-related situations and maternal health

CPMS

• Cap Refill

• Pulse

• Motor

• Sensation

  Used to assess circulation and nerve functioning in a limb

NSAID

• Neurological Deficit

• Spinal Tenderness/Deformity

• Altered Mental Status

• Intoxication

• Distracting Injury

  Used to remember the criteria for spinal motion restriction (SMR)

SLUDGEM

• Salivation

• Lacrimation

• Urination

• Defecation

• GI Upset

• Emesis (Vomiting)

• Miosis (Pupil Constriction)

  Used to assess pts with symptoms of overdose or possible poisoning

CBRNE

• Chemical

• Biological

• Radiological

• Nuclear

• Explosive

  Used to identify different types of WMDs