PBS Unit 3.2.1 -3.2.5 Study Guide
Unit 3.2.1 Survey and Assess
Each individual on an emergency response team is cross-trained. What does that mean?
Cross-trained just means that each individual is trained in multiple skills in their field.
Complete the table below for each of the individuals on the Emergency Response Team:
Profession | Education | License/ Training | Responsibilities | Characteristics |
Paramedic | a. GED certificate, complete high school, and complete a postsecondary education program | b. California Emergency Medical services authority | c. provide treatment to the wounded, first aid, and life support | Compassion, listening skills, physical strength, and interpersonal skills |
Emergency Medicine Physician | d. four years of undergraduate study, four years of medical school, and three to five years of residency. | State physician's licensure | Record patient histories, order diagnostic tests, review test results, and design a patient treatment plan | e. calm, in control of the situation, quick, and alert |
Disaster Response Technician | f. high school diploma and associates degree | CPR | g. respond to alerts from hospitals, community aid, regional responses, and disaster alerts | Communication, critical thinking, decision-making, and leadership skills |
Emergency Medical Technician | High school diploma EMT Certification | h. EMT or AEMT certification | Perform CPR, provide first aid, assess a patient’s condition, and determine a course of treatment | i. communication, mental agility, teamwork, compassion, organization skills, enhance critical thinking |
Emergency Medicine Nurse Practitioner | j. Master of science in nursing | Emergency Nurse Practitioner, Board Certified credential (ENP-BC) | k. order and interpret diagnostic tests, prescribe medication, collect information and samples from patients, and perform physical examinations | l. compassion, attention to detail, leadership, optimism, collaboration, attentiveness. |
Emergency Services Coordinator | Bachelor’s degree in public health | m. national certifications offered by FEMA | n. oversees training courses, and disaster exercises for staff, volunteers, and local agencies. Identify risks that may arise during an emergency and make plans to combat those risks | Communication, critical thinking, decision-making, and leadership skills |
Triage Nurse | Degree in nursing | o. complete a nursing degree program at an accredited school | p. quickly assess patient needs, determine the level of urgency, provide professional nursing assessments, initiate medical care. | q. calm when under pressure |
Emergency Communications Specialists | r. high school diploma | Public Safety Telecommunications training | s. receive and relay calls, handles public relations, and outflow of information to the public, instils public confidence. | Interpersonal, organizational, problem-solving, speaking, and writing skills. |
What are the steps of a Scene size-up?
Control the situation
Look for potential hazards
Assess the situation
Protect and prioritize
What should you note when conducting your risk assessment (process of identifying and evaluating risks)?
when conducting a risk assessment, it is important to note important dispatch information, the location of the emergency, the extent of the emergency, scene dangers, number of injured or ill people and the number of bystanders.
What is the difference between a primary and a secondary patient assessment?
The primary assessment is used to determine whether the patient is at risk and the secondary patient assessment is used to gather more information about the patient.
Explain the 5 steps of primary assessment
Form a general impression of the patient: What appears to have happened? What is the patient’s condition?
Determine the Mechanism of Injury (MOI): What caused the trauma, the physical damage to the body?
Determine the patient’s responsiveness: Is the patient alert, able to respond, to speak?
Consider stabilizing the patient’s spine: Do they appear to have spinal injury based on their position and MOI?
Check the patient’s airway, breathing, and circulation
First responders must wear PPE when responding at a scene to prevent exposure to blood-borne pathogens.
In a trauma case where injury to back, neck, or head is suspected, you must immobilize the spine with a spinal board or other device. Failure to immobilize an injured spine could lead to what?
Failure to immobilize an injured spine could lead to permanent paralysis or death.
How do you open the airways of an individual who has not suffered a spinal injury?
Use the head tilt/chin lift maneuver:
1) Kneel beside the patient’s head and neck.
2) Place one hand on the patient’s forehead.
3) Place the fingertips of your other hand under the bony part of the patient’s lower jaw near the chin.
4) Use firm backward pressure from the palm of your hand to tilt the head back while lifting the jaw up with the fingertips to extend the chin forward.
5) Keep pressure on the patient’s forehead to help maintain the airway in an open position.
How do you open the airways of a child? An infant?
For a child, tilt the head so that it is only slightly past the neutral.
For an infant, tilt the head so that it is in the neutral position.
What is a bag-valve-mask resuscitator?
A mask with a handheld pump that is used for manual ventilation or the providing of air to a a patient suffering a respiratory emergency.
What is a normal heart rate for a person at rest?
A normal heart rate for a person at rest is 60-100 bpm.
What might a “weak “pulse in an accident victim indicate?
A weak pulse may indicate a problem with the heart or severe dehydration.
What might pale, cool, moist skin in a patient indicate?
blood isn’t circulating well, meaning her blood is having trouble flowing to all areas of the body
Explain the 4 steps of Secondary assessment.
Perform a rapid physical assessment
Take the Patient’s Vitals
Get a Patient History
Provide Appropriate Emergency Care
What does a pupillary response assessment tell you?
a pupillary response assessment can determine the health of the patient’s nervous system, whether they’ve suffered any nerve or brain damage, or whether they are under the influence of certain medications.
What is a consensual pupillary reflex?
a response in the opposite eye from the one in which they’re shining a light
What is the purpose of an endotracheal tube?
delivers air to the patient
Unit 3.2.2 Drug Delivery
What is skin turgor?
a measure of the elasticity of the skin and is used to indicate dehydration
How do you test for skin turgor?
pinch your skin and see if it stays folded. If it stays folded, that means you are dehydrated
Define allergy.
An allergy is when your immune system overreacts to a foreign substance
Define anaphylaxis.
a severe allergic reaction that can lead to shock
Explain the effects of anaphylaxis on the body:
Bronchoconstriction: inflammation and constriction of the airways and can lead to wheezing and difficulty breathing
Throat swelling: Swelling and constriction of the throat and airways can lead to wheezing and difficulty breathing
Facial swelling: swelling of the eyes and lips
Hives: itchy welts on the skin, initiated by the release of inflammatory molecules from skin cells.
Histamine release and vascular edema: widens blood vessels and increases heart rate and gland secretion.
What type of medication is used to treat anaphylaxis and how does it work?
An IM injection is most appropriate to treat anaphylaxis.
It delivers medicine into the muscle tissue where it can be quickly absorbed by the bloodstream
Differentiate between enteral and parenteral drugs?
Enteral drugs are taken orally or absorbed through the rectum while parenteral drugs are breathed in, applied directly to a specific site, or injected.
List the different types of:
enteral drugs: pills and liquids
parenteral drugs: nasal sprays, skin creams, shots, IV fluids
What factors determine the route of drug delivery?
where the medication is needed and how fast it needs to get there.
Explain when the different types of injections are used.
Intravenous: Injected directly into the bloodstream. Fast
Intramuscular: Injected in the muscle tissue and absorbed into the bloodstream. Second fastest
Subcutaneous: Injected into the tissue layer under the skin and above the muscle. Third fastest.
What factors are used to determine the appropriate dose of medication for an individual?
age, weight, gender, the severity of the symptoms, and the concentration or strength of the medication.
Convert 50 Kg into lbs.
50*2.2046=110.23
Dehydration:
Define: a condition where the body loses more fluids than are being taken in.
Causes: not drinking enough water, excessive sweating, vomiting, or diarrhea
Symptoms of severe dehydration: weakness, fainting, increased heart rate, respiratory rate, or shock
How do you treat dehydration when it is:
Mild: drinking enough water
Severe: IV fluids
What is IV therapy?
the delivery of medication and fluids over some time through a vein.
What is a catheter and what is it used for?
a tube used to administer medications and fluids
What do IV therapist do?
administers IV to patients and documents and monitors patient health.
Solutions are mixtures of a solvent and a solute. Differentiate between solvent and solute.
a solvent is larger in quantity than the solute.
the solute dissolves in the solvent
In our bodies, what is the solvent?
water
Define:
osmosis: the movement of water across a semipermeable membrane.
homeostasis: the maintenance of stable internal and physical conditions
Define:
isotonic solutions: concentration of solute is the same inside and outside
hypotonic solutions: concentration of solute is greater outside the cell
hypertonic solutions: concentration of solute is greater inside the cell.
Complete the following table for the images above:.
Beaker: | Type of solution: (hypertonic, isotonic, or hypotonic) | Water will move: | Solute will move: | Cell will: |
A | Isotonic | same | same | same |
B | Hypotonic | in | out | grow |
C | Hypertonic | out | in | shrivel |
Unit 3.2.3 Control Bleeding
Describe the process of blood clotting..
When a blood vessel gets injured, platelets stick to the injury and start the positive feedback loop. The platelets release chemical signals to attract more platelets until the platelet plug forms and seals up the wound ending the feedback cycle.
Differentiate between negative and positive feedback systems.
Negative feedback is used to keep the body levels normal while positive feedback increases it at an alarming rate.
Give an example of:
Negative feedback: blood glucose levels
Positive feedback: giving birth
In order to get bleeding under control, what does ABC stand for?
A= Alert: call 911
B= Bleeding: find the source of the bleed and determine if it is lifethreatening
C= Compress: apply firm pressure on the wound and apply gauze to clott the blood.
When would a bleed be considered life threatening?
if the blood will not stop coming out of the wound
blood spurts out of the wound
blood is pooling on the ground
clothing is soaked with blood
victim seems confused or is unconscious
victim has lost all or part of an arm or a leg
What is a laceration?
jagged tear
Tourniquet:
What is a tourniquet?
a device that applies extra pressure to the vessels within an arm or a leg.
When should you use a tourniquet?
to slow blood flow
What are the steps, in order, for using a tourniquet?
wrap the tourniquet two to three inches above the wound
pull the free end to make the tourniquet as tight as possible
tighten the tourniquet until the bleeding stops
secure the tourniquet and note the time it was applied
Which type of bleed would typically be more urgent to treat - venous or arterial? Explain your reasoning.
An arterial bleed would typically be more urgent to treat because it has higher blood pressure and there would be more blood flowing out of the wound.
What is the upper limit of the peripheral adult venous pressure?
20 mmHg
For life-threatening bleeding from the neck, shoulder, or groin, what do you need to do to stop the bleeding?
pack the wound with gauze
What is the purpose of gauze in addition to compression to stop a bleeding wound?
create a strong barrier that prevents blood from flowing out of the wound.
What are the steps to pack a wound?
Wipe away any pooled blood.
Stuff the wound with gauze or a clean cloth.
Apply steady pressure with both hands directly on the bleeding wound.
Push down as hard as you can, and continue to hold pressure until help arrives.
Why is a tourniquet not a long-term solution?
it cuts off blood supply to the rest of the arm and can cause permanent tissue death.
What is a hemostat?
a tool used to clamp an open blood vessel.
Unit 3.2.4 Crisis Communication
What is triage?
the sorting and prioritizationo f patients based on the urgency or their need for care
What patients are top priority?
emergent
What are the steps of emergency care?
triage
physical exam and diagnostic testing
medical treatment and evaluation
admission to hospital or discharge home
What is the role and personality trait of a Triage nurse?
to identify which patients are most in need of care
they can also help care for patients, identify or carry out diagnostic interventions
they need to be calm under pressure
Complete the table for triage categories:
Triage Category | Description |
Emergent |
|
| Care needed quickly but can be delayed temporarily |
| Care is needed but can wait if other higher priority patients exist |
Non-urgent | d. lowest priority, minor conditions which are not time sensitive |
Expectant | e. patients are expected to die soon, all we can do is make sure there last moments are as painless as possible |
How is time recorded on triage files and how do you convert it?
time is recorded using the 24 hour clock time
For a time greater than 1200: subtract 12 hours and add “p.m.”
For a time less than or equal to 1200: add “a.m.”
What should you pay attention to as you make triage determinations?
a patients vitals, severity of injuries and symptoms determine triage
Unit 3.2.5 Medical Surge
What type of medical resources do hospitals need to treat patients?
hospitals need medicine, medical equipment, and medical professionals in order to treat patients
Define medical surge
occurs when the number of new patients challenges or exceeds a hospitals ability to serve them all.
Define surge capacity.
the ability to care for an increased volume of patients that challenges and exceeds medical expectations. Measures the number of patients in addition to the normal
What are some potential causes of medical surges?
natural disasters and epidemics
What is a regional disaster response plan and what does it involve?
a set of guidelines used in response to disaster
What is important to have at the ready when a disaster strikes?
disaster preparedness
What does managing key resources entail?
moving resources to where they will be needed most
Why is allocating resources during a medical surge vitally important?
it will impact each facility's capacity
What is meant by “efficient resource distribution”?
the amount of patients can be treated in an hour with the resources distributed.
During everyday operations outside of disaster situations, a hospital might end up with surpluses or shortages of different resources. Why might this be?
the hospitals did a poor job managing key resources
How do you calculate a facility’s capacity?
the lowest number of resources is the capacity.
In a real-life disaster situation, what might a hospital do with extra patients when it’s over its capacity?
they will make a triage and determine which patients are most in need of treatment
During a large-scale outbreak such as an epidemic or pandemic, what are some ways in which governments as well as individuals can help prevent hospitals from exceeding their surge capacities?
the government could try to provide hospitals with more resources and announce to the public to only go to the hospital when they really need it. Individuals can wear protective gear such as masks and gloves and practice social distancing.
PBS Unit 3.2.1 -3.2.5 Study Guide
Unit 3.2.1 Survey and Assess
Each individual on an emergency response team is cross-trained. What does that mean?
Cross-trained just means that each individual is trained in multiple skills in their field.
Complete the table below for each of the individuals on the Emergency Response Team:
Profession | Education | License/ Training | Responsibilities | Characteristics |
Paramedic | a. GED certificate, complete high school, and complete a postsecondary education program | b. California Emergency Medical services authority | c. provide treatment to the wounded, first aid, and life support | Compassion, listening skills, physical strength, and interpersonal skills |
Emergency Medicine Physician | d. four years of undergraduate study, four years of medical school, and three to five years of residency. | State physician's licensure | Record patient histories, order diagnostic tests, review test results, and design a patient treatment plan | e. calm, in control of the situation, quick, and alert |
Disaster Response Technician | f. high school diploma and associates degree | CPR | g. respond to alerts from hospitals, community aid, regional responses, and disaster alerts | Communication, critical thinking, decision-making, and leadership skills |
Emergency Medical Technician | High school diploma EMT Certification | h. EMT or AEMT certification | Perform CPR, provide first aid, assess a patient’s condition, and determine a course of treatment | i. communication, mental agility, teamwork, compassion, organization skills, enhance critical thinking |
Emergency Medicine Nurse Practitioner | j. Master of science in nursing | Emergency Nurse Practitioner, Board Certified credential (ENP-BC) | k. order and interpret diagnostic tests, prescribe medication, collect information and samples from patients, and perform physical examinations | l. compassion, attention to detail, leadership, optimism, collaboration, attentiveness. |
Emergency Services Coordinator | Bachelor’s degree in public health | m. national certifications offered by FEMA | n. oversees training courses, and disaster exercises for staff, volunteers, and local agencies. Identify risks that may arise during an emergency and make plans to combat those risks | Communication, critical thinking, decision-making, and leadership skills |
Triage Nurse | Degree in nursing | o. complete a nursing degree program at an accredited school | p. quickly assess patient needs, determine the level of urgency, provide professional nursing assessments, initiate medical care. | q. calm when under pressure |
Emergency Communications Specialists | r. high school diploma | Public Safety Telecommunications training | s. receive and relay calls, handles public relations, and outflow of information to the public, instils public confidence. | Interpersonal, organizational, problem-solving, speaking, and writing skills. |
What are the steps of a Scene size-up?
Control the situation
Look for potential hazards
Assess the situation
Protect and prioritize
What should you note when conducting your risk assessment (process of identifying and evaluating risks)?
when conducting a risk assessment, it is important to note important dispatch information, the location of the emergency, the extent of the emergency, scene dangers, number of injured or ill people and the number of bystanders.
What is the difference between a primary and a secondary patient assessment?
The primary assessment is used to determine whether the patient is at risk and the secondary patient assessment is used to gather more information about the patient.
Explain the 5 steps of primary assessment
Form a general impression of the patient: What appears to have happened? What is the patient’s condition?
Determine the Mechanism of Injury (MOI): What caused the trauma, the physical damage to the body?
Determine the patient’s responsiveness: Is the patient alert, able to respond, to speak?
Consider stabilizing the patient’s spine: Do they appear to have spinal injury based on their position and MOI?
Check the patient’s airway, breathing, and circulation
First responders must wear PPE when responding at a scene to prevent exposure to blood-borne pathogens.
In a trauma case where injury to back, neck, or head is suspected, you must immobilize the spine with a spinal board or other device. Failure to immobilize an injured spine could lead to what?
Failure to immobilize an injured spine could lead to permanent paralysis or death.
How do you open the airways of an individual who has not suffered a spinal injury?
Use the head tilt/chin lift maneuver:
1) Kneel beside the patient’s head and neck.
2) Place one hand on the patient’s forehead.
3) Place the fingertips of your other hand under the bony part of the patient’s lower jaw near the chin.
4) Use firm backward pressure from the palm of your hand to tilt the head back while lifting the jaw up with the fingertips to extend the chin forward.
5) Keep pressure on the patient’s forehead to help maintain the airway in an open position.
How do you open the airways of a child? An infant?
For a child, tilt the head so that it is only slightly past the neutral.
For an infant, tilt the head so that it is in the neutral position.
What is a bag-valve-mask resuscitator?
A mask with a handheld pump that is used for manual ventilation or the providing of air to a a patient suffering a respiratory emergency.
What is a normal heart rate for a person at rest?
A normal heart rate for a person at rest is 60-100 bpm.
What might a “weak “pulse in an accident victim indicate?
A weak pulse may indicate a problem with the heart or severe dehydration.
What might pale, cool, moist skin in a patient indicate?
blood isn’t circulating well, meaning her blood is having trouble flowing to all areas of the body
Explain the 4 steps of Secondary assessment.
Perform a rapid physical assessment
Take the Patient’s Vitals
Get a Patient History
Provide Appropriate Emergency Care
What does a pupillary response assessment tell you?
a pupillary response assessment can determine the health of the patient’s nervous system, whether they’ve suffered any nerve or brain damage, or whether they are under the influence of certain medications.
What is a consensual pupillary reflex?
a response in the opposite eye from the one in which they’re shining a light
What is the purpose of an endotracheal tube?
delivers air to the patient
Unit 3.2.2 Drug Delivery
What is skin turgor?
a measure of the elasticity of the skin and is used to indicate dehydration
How do you test for skin turgor?
pinch your skin and see if it stays folded. If it stays folded, that means you are dehydrated
Define allergy.
An allergy is when your immune system overreacts to a foreign substance
Define anaphylaxis.
a severe allergic reaction that can lead to shock
Explain the effects of anaphylaxis on the body:
Bronchoconstriction: inflammation and constriction of the airways and can lead to wheezing and difficulty breathing
Throat swelling: Swelling and constriction of the throat and airways can lead to wheezing and difficulty breathing
Facial swelling: swelling of the eyes and lips
Hives: itchy welts on the skin, initiated by the release of inflammatory molecules from skin cells.
Histamine release and vascular edema: widens blood vessels and increases heart rate and gland secretion.
What type of medication is used to treat anaphylaxis and how does it work?
An IM injection is most appropriate to treat anaphylaxis.
It delivers medicine into the muscle tissue where it can be quickly absorbed by the bloodstream
Differentiate between enteral and parenteral drugs?
Enteral drugs are taken orally or absorbed through the rectum while parenteral drugs are breathed in, applied directly to a specific site, or injected.
List the different types of:
enteral drugs: pills and liquids
parenteral drugs: nasal sprays, skin creams, shots, IV fluids
What factors determine the route of drug delivery?
where the medication is needed and how fast it needs to get there.
Explain when the different types of injections are used.
Intravenous: Injected directly into the bloodstream. Fast
Intramuscular: Injected in the muscle tissue and absorbed into the bloodstream. Second fastest
Subcutaneous: Injected into the tissue layer under the skin and above the muscle. Third fastest.
What factors are used to determine the appropriate dose of medication for an individual?
age, weight, gender, the severity of the symptoms, and the concentration or strength of the medication.
Convert 50 Kg into lbs.
50*2.2046=110.23
Dehydration:
Define: a condition where the body loses more fluids than are being taken in.
Causes: not drinking enough water, excessive sweating, vomiting, or diarrhea
Symptoms of severe dehydration: weakness, fainting, increased heart rate, respiratory rate, or shock
How do you treat dehydration when it is:
Mild: drinking enough water
Severe: IV fluids
What is IV therapy?
the delivery of medication and fluids over some time through a vein.
What is a catheter and what is it used for?
a tube used to administer medications and fluids
What do IV therapist do?
administers IV to patients and documents and monitors patient health.
Solutions are mixtures of a solvent and a solute. Differentiate between solvent and solute.
a solvent is larger in quantity than the solute.
the solute dissolves in the solvent
In our bodies, what is the solvent?
water
Define:
osmosis: the movement of water across a semipermeable membrane.
homeostasis: the maintenance of stable internal and physical conditions
Define:
isotonic solutions: concentration of solute is the same inside and outside
hypotonic solutions: concentration of solute is greater outside the cell
hypertonic solutions: concentration of solute is greater inside the cell.
Complete the following table for the images above:.
Beaker: | Type of solution: (hypertonic, isotonic, or hypotonic) | Water will move: | Solute will move: | Cell will: |
A | Isotonic | same | same | same |
B | Hypotonic | in | out | grow |
C | Hypertonic | out | in | shrivel |
Unit 3.2.3 Control Bleeding
Describe the process of blood clotting..
When a blood vessel gets injured, platelets stick to the injury and start the positive feedback loop. The platelets release chemical signals to attract more platelets until the platelet plug forms and seals up the wound ending the feedback cycle.
Differentiate between negative and positive feedback systems.
Negative feedback is used to keep the body levels normal while positive feedback increases it at an alarming rate.
Give an example of:
Negative feedback: blood glucose levels
Positive feedback: giving birth
In order to get bleeding under control, what does ABC stand for?
A= Alert: call 911
B= Bleeding: find the source of the bleed and determine if it is lifethreatening
C= Compress: apply firm pressure on the wound and apply gauze to clott the blood.
When would a bleed be considered life threatening?
if the blood will not stop coming out of the wound
blood spurts out of the wound
blood is pooling on the ground
clothing is soaked with blood
victim seems confused or is unconscious
victim has lost all or part of an arm or a leg
What is a laceration?
jagged tear
Tourniquet:
What is a tourniquet?
a device that applies extra pressure to the vessels within an arm or a leg.
When should you use a tourniquet?
to slow blood flow
What are the steps, in order, for using a tourniquet?
wrap the tourniquet two to three inches above the wound
pull the free end to make the tourniquet as tight as possible
tighten the tourniquet until the bleeding stops
secure the tourniquet and note the time it was applied
Which type of bleed would typically be more urgent to treat - venous or arterial? Explain your reasoning.
An arterial bleed would typically be more urgent to treat because it has higher blood pressure and there would be more blood flowing out of the wound.
What is the upper limit of the peripheral adult venous pressure?
20 mmHg
For life-threatening bleeding from the neck, shoulder, or groin, what do you need to do to stop the bleeding?
pack the wound with gauze
What is the purpose of gauze in addition to compression to stop a bleeding wound?
create a strong barrier that prevents blood from flowing out of the wound.
What are the steps to pack a wound?
Wipe away any pooled blood.
Stuff the wound with gauze or a clean cloth.
Apply steady pressure with both hands directly on the bleeding wound.
Push down as hard as you can, and continue to hold pressure until help arrives.
Why is a tourniquet not a long-term solution?
it cuts off blood supply to the rest of the arm and can cause permanent tissue death.
What is a hemostat?
a tool used to clamp an open blood vessel.
Unit 3.2.4 Crisis Communication
What is triage?
the sorting and prioritizationo f patients based on the urgency or their need for care
What patients are top priority?
emergent
What are the steps of emergency care?
triage
physical exam and diagnostic testing
medical treatment and evaluation
admission to hospital or discharge home
What is the role and personality trait of a Triage nurse?
to identify which patients are most in need of care
they can also help care for patients, identify or carry out diagnostic interventions
they need to be calm under pressure
Complete the table for triage categories:
Triage Category | Description |
Emergent |
|
| Care needed quickly but can be delayed temporarily |
| Care is needed but can wait if other higher priority patients exist |
Non-urgent | d. lowest priority, minor conditions which are not time sensitive |
Expectant | e. patients are expected to die soon, all we can do is make sure there last moments are as painless as possible |
How is time recorded on triage files and how do you convert it?
time is recorded using the 24 hour clock time
For a time greater than 1200: subtract 12 hours and add “p.m.”
For a time less than or equal to 1200: add “a.m.”
What should you pay attention to as you make triage determinations?
a patients vitals, severity of injuries and symptoms determine triage
Unit 3.2.5 Medical Surge
What type of medical resources do hospitals need to treat patients?
hospitals need medicine, medical equipment, and medical professionals in order to treat patients
Define medical surge
occurs when the number of new patients challenges or exceeds a hospitals ability to serve them all.
Define surge capacity.
the ability to care for an increased volume of patients that challenges and exceeds medical expectations. Measures the number of patients in addition to the normal
What are some potential causes of medical surges?
natural disasters and epidemics
What is a regional disaster response plan and what does it involve?
a set of guidelines used in response to disaster
What is important to have at the ready when a disaster strikes?
disaster preparedness
What does managing key resources entail?
moving resources to where they will be needed most
Why is allocating resources during a medical surge vitally important?
it will impact each facility's capacity
What is meant by “efficient resource distribution”?
the amount of patients can be treated in an hour with the resources distributed.
During everyday operations outside of disaster situations, a hospital might end up with surpluses or shortages of different resources. Why might this be?
the hospitals did a poor job managing key resources
How do you calculate a facility’s capacity?
the lowest number of resources is the capacity.
In a real-life disaster situation, what might a hospital do with extra patients when it’s over its capacity?
they will make a triage and determine which patients are most in need of treatment
During a large-scale outbreak such as an epidemic or pandemic, what are some ways in which governments as well as individuals can help prevent hospitals from exceeding their surge capacities?
the government could try to provide hospitals with more resources and announce to the public to only go to the hospital when they really need it. Individuals can wear protective gear such as masks and gloves and practice social distancing.
