West Coast EMT Chapter 14 -- Medical Overview

Ten days after treating a 34-year-old patient with tuberculosis, you are given a tuberculin skin test, which yields a positive result. This MOST likely indicates that:

Select one:

A. the disease is dormant in your body, but will probably never cause symptoms.

B. you are actively infected with tuberculosis and should be treated immediately.

C. you were exposed to another infected person prior to treating the 34-year-old patient.

D. you contracted the disease by casual contact instead of exposure to secretions.

C. you were exposed to another infected person prior to treating the 34-year-old patient.

After sizing up the scene of a patient with a possible infectious disease, your next priority should be to:

Select one:

A. contact medical control.

B. notify law enforcement.

C. quickly access the patient.

D. take standard precautions.

D. take standard precautions.

An infectious disease is MOST accurately defined as:

Select one:

A. any disease that enters the body via the bloodstream and renders the immune system nonfunctional.

B. the invasion of the human body by a bacterium that cannot be destroyed by antibiotics or other drugs.

C. a medical condition caused by the growth and spread of small, harmful organisms within the body.

D. a disease that can be spread from one person or species to another through a number of mechanisms.

C. a medical condition caused by the growth and spread of small, harmful organisms within the body.

Assessment of the medical patient is usually focused on the _________.

Select one:

A. nature of illness

B. field diagnosis

C. associated symptoms

D. medical history

A. nature of illness

Hepatitis B is more virulent than hepatitis C, which means that it:

Select one:

A. is a more contagious type of disease.

B. has a greater ability to produce disease.

C. leads to chronic infection after exposure.

D. is less resistant to treatment.

B. has a greater ability to produce disease.

In 2009, the H1N1 virus accounted for over 200,000 deaths worldwide in the form of the swine flu. In 1919, a similar outbreak of the H1N1 occurred in the form of the Spanish flu. Starting in Kansas City, the virus spread rapidly worldwide, claiming up to 50 million lives. These are both examples of:

Select one:

A. epidemics.

B. parasitic infection.

C. uncontrolled outbreaks.

D. pandemics.

D. pandemics.

In which of the following situations would it be MOST appropriate to utilize an air medical transportation service?

Select one:

A. 29-year-old woman who is 18 weeks pregnant, has light vaginal bleeding, and stable vital signs

B. 50-year-old conscious woman with severe nausea and vomiting, fever, and chills of 3 days' duration

C. 43-year-old man experiencing a heart attack, and the closest appropriate hospital is 15 minutes away

D. 61-year-old man with signs and symptoms of a stroke and a ground transport time of 50 minutes

D. 61-year-old man with signs and symptoms of a stroke and a ground transport time of 50 minutes

It is especially important to assess pulse, sensation, and movement in all extremities as well as pupillary reactions in patients with a suspected ___________ problem.

Select one:

A. endocrine

B. respiratory

C. cardiac

D. neurologic

D. neurologic

Most patients with an infectious disease will have _________.

Select one:

A. a low blood glucose level

B. abdominal pain

C. seizures

D. a fever

D. a fever

Most treatments provided in the prehospital setting are intended to _________.

Select one:

A. reduce the need for transport to the hospital

B. confirm the patient's diagnosis

C. address the patient's symptoms

D. correct the patient's underlying problem

C. address the patient's symptoms

The BEST way to prevent infection from whooping cough is to:

Select one:

A. routinely place a surgical mask on all respiratory patients.

B. ask all patients if they have recently traveled abroad.

C. get vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis.

D. wear a HEPA mask when treating any respiratory patient.

C. get vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis.

The determination of whether a medical patient is a high-priority or low-priority transport is typically made:

Select one:

A. as soon as the patient voices his or her chief complaint.

B. after the primary assessment has been completed.

C. upon completion of a detailed secondary assessment.

D. once the patient's baseline vital signs are known.

B. after the primary assessment has been completed.

When assessing a patient with a medical complaint, which of the following would MOST likely reveal the cause of the problem?

Select one:

A. Baseline vital signs

B. Index of suspicion

C. Medical history

D. Primary assessment

C. Medical history

When caring for a patient with an altered mental status and signs of circulatory compromise, you should:

Select one:

A. perform a detailed secondary assessment prior to transporting the patient.

B. have a paramedic unit respond to the scene if it is less than 15 minutes away.

C. limit your time at the scene to 10 minutes or less, if possible.

D. transport immediately and begin all emergency treatment en route to the hospital.

C. limit your time at the scene to 10 minutes or less, if possible.

When forming your general impression of a patient with a medical complaint, it is important to remember that:

Select one:

A. most serious medical conditions do not present with obvious symptoms.

B. it is during the general impression that assessment of the ABCs occurs.

C. the conditions of many medical patients may not appear serious at first.

D. the majority of medical patients you encounter are also injured.

C. the conditions of many medical patients may not appear serious at first.

Which of the following conditions is NOT categorized as a psychiatric condition?

Select one:

A. Alzheimer disease

B. Depression

C. Schizophrenia

D. Substance abuse

D. Substance abuse

Which of the following is bacterium resistant to most antibiotics and causes skin abscesses?

Select one:

A. Whooping cough

B. MRSA

C. H1N1

D. Avian flu

B. MRSA

Which of the following patients is at greatest risk for complications caused by the influenza virus?

Select one:

A. 50-year-old woman moderate obesity

B. 68-year-old woman with type 2 diabetes

C. 12-year-old child with a fractured arm

D. 39-year-old man with mild hypertension

B. 68-year-old woman with type 2 diabetes

You and your EMT partner arrive at the residence of a 50-year-old man who complains of weakness. Your primary assessment reveals that he is critically ill and will require aggressive treatment. The closest hospital is 25 miles away. You should:

Select one:

A. administer oxygen via nonrebreathing mask and obtain as much of his medical history as possible.

B. manage all threats to airway, breathing, and circulation and consider requesting an ALS unit.

C. load him into the ambulance, begin transport, and perform all treatment en route to the hospital.

D. perform a detailed secondary assessment, assess his vital signs, and then transport rapidly.

B. manage all threats to airway, breathing, and circulation and consider requesting an ALS unit.

You are attending to a 27-year-old male driver of a car. According to his passenger, the patient had been acting strangely while driving, then slumped forward against the steering wheel, apparently unconscious. The car drove off the road and struck a telephone pole. The patient remains unconscious, and physical assessment reveals only a large hematoma on his right forehead with no other physical signs. Your patient is a diabetic who had been under a lot of stress lately and may have missed meals. This is an example of a:

Select one:

A. combination of a psychiatric and trauma emergency.

B. medical emergency.

C. trauma emergency.

D. combination of a medical and trauma emergency.

D. combination of a medical and trauma emergency.