EMT Chapter 9/41*59 The Team Approach to Health Care/ Terrorism Response and Disaster Management

EMTs arrive at the scene of an ill person. The EMR, who arrive before the EMTs, advises that the patient had a syncopal episode. The patient is concious and alert and remains so throughout transport. When transfering patient care to the ED nurse, the EMT should advise the nurse that

the patient had a reported syncopal episode

While transferring patient care to another healthcare provider, you should be

respectful

In an interdependent group, when one person fails

everyone fails

To be a great EMT, strive for

foundational knowledge

Which of the following would most likely facilitate an accurate and effective verbal handoff report at the hospital?

use of a mutually agree-upon handoff format

An effective team leader should

help the team accomplish goals

While caring for a patient, the EMT states to her partner, "Why even splint the patient's leg if they're only going to remove it in the ED?" This statement indicates that

the EMTs focus is not on the common goal

For the patient's handoff, it is important for EMTs and hospital staff to use

common language

When working as an independent health care group member, the EMT should expect that he or she

does not have to wait for an assignment before performing a task

During a resuscitation attempt, the team leader asks the EMT to ventilate the patient at a rate of 20 breaths, and the EMT replies, "Actually, sir, the correct ventilation is 10 breaths." This is an example of

construction intervention

EMTs and other health care providers function as a true team when they work

interdependently

During patient care, the EMT instructs her partner to administer one tube of oral glucose to a concious patient with low blood sugar. The partner's most appropriate response should be

"Got it. I'll give oral glucose."

Gathering data about a patient begins when

the EMT is given dispatch information

Heath care providers who infrequently work together can function effectively as a team if they work in an environment that supports and promotes

collaboration

If a problem with a team member is not directly or immediately impacting patient care, the team leader should

discuss the problem after the call

When the EMT assists a paramedic with an advanced intervention, he or she should recall that the focus of the intervention is on

solving a clinical problem

The effectiveness of a pit crew CPR is dependent on

defining clear roles and responsibilities before the call is received

The concept of consistent care across the entire health care team from first patient contact to patient discharge is called

the continuum of care

Which step in EMS decision making comes after a patient has been transferred?

outcome evaluation

Premature diagnosis during a call can be due to what error?

anchoring

A man with chest pain tells the EMTs that he hurt his chest 2 weeks ago. The EMTs conclude that the patient likely has a fractured rib or chest wall injury. At the hospital, the man is diagnosed with acute myocardial infarction. Which of the following decision traps does this scenario depict?

anchoring

Which comes first in EMS decision making?

data gathering

Unlike bacterial agents, viral agents

are usually not treatable

Exposure to _ would most likely result in immediate respiratory distress

chlorine

Nerve agents were first discovered while in search of a superior

pesticide

Unlike viruses and bacteria, neurotoxins

are not contagious

Which of the following chemicals is a nerve agent?

Soman

The least harmful form of ionizing radiation is

alpha

If the incident command system is already established at the scene of a terrorist attack, the EMT should

locate the medical staging officer to obtain his or her assignment

The means by which a terrorist will spread a particular agent is called

dissemination

Signs and symptoms of exposure to a nerve agent include

salivation, pinpoint pupils, and diarrhea

Viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHF), such as Ebola, causes the blood to

seep out of the blood vessels and tissues

All of the following biologic agents or diseases can be transmitted from person to person, except

ricin

A disease vector is defined as

any agent that acts as a carrier or transporter

Continual reassessment of the scene at a suspected terrorist or weapon of mass destruction incident is most important because

a secondary explosive device might detonate

Which of the following statements regarding anthorax is correct?

pulmonary anthrax is the deadliest form

Which of the following statements regarding a "dirty bomb" is correct?

these could injure victims both radioactive material and the explosive material used to deliver it

Multiple people in a small town began experiencing abdominal cramps, excessive salivation and urination, and muscle twitching shortly after a small crop duster plane made several passes over the community. As you are assessing the patients, you futher determine that most of them are bradycardic and have miosis. In addition to high flow O2, the most appropriate treatment for these patients include

atropine and pralidoxime chloride

The process performed to artificially maximize the target population's exposure to a biologic agent, thereby exposing the greatest number of people and achieving the desired result, is called

weaponization

Points of distribution (POD) are strategically placed facilities where

antidotes, antibiotics, and vaccines are distributed

Botulinum is

a potent bacterial neurotoxin

The EMT should expect that a patient who was exposed to cyanide will have

a normal pulse oximetry reading

Which of the following is a characteristic of a regular team?

Members consistently interact with the same partner

Essential elements of a group that people must share include

working with a set of shared values

Members of an interdependent group

work together with shared responsibilities, accountability, and a common goal

When a team member speaks, you should repeat the message back to him or her. This is an example of

closed loop communication

A team leader

All of the above (helps individual team members to work together; is often defined by policy, procedure, or statute; provides coordination, oversight, centralized decision making and support for the team)

When verbal transfer of care occurs, all team members should do their best to ensure that

everyone is respectful of each team member’s role

Your partner is working a 48-hour shift and has had little sleep. He disagrees with you over how to position the patient and how you should drive to the hospital. You should

follow your partner’s orders and discuss the call after the patient has been dropped off at the hospital

What type of terrorist group would MOST likely bomb an abortion clinic?

Single-issue group

The term “weaponization” is defined as

the cultivation, synthetization, and/or mutation of an agent in order to maximize the target population’s exposure

The Department of Homeland Security posts a daily advisory system to keep the public aware of the current terrorist threat level. What does an orange level indicate?

High - High risk of terrorist attacks

You are dispatched to a bombing along with 15 other ambulances. Upon arriving at the scene, you should stage your ambulance

upwind and uphill from the bombing site

A terrorist would MOST likely use a secondary explosive device

to injure rescuers and gain maximum public attention

When assessing a patient who was exposed to a vesicant agent, you should expect to encounter

skin blistering

What does sulfur mustard do to the cells within the body?

It makes the cells mutate, which damages and changes the cells and causes cellular death

Pinpoint pupils, vomiting, bradycardia, and excessive salivation are signs of exposure to

soman

You respond to a plastic factory, where numerous people present with shortness of breath, flushed skin, and altered mental status. One of the patients tells you he smelled almonds before he started feeling sick. These people were MOST likely exposed to

cyanide

Factors that have the GREATEST impact on the severity of radiation exposure include

time, distance, and shielding