EMR Ch 13 Principles of Patient Assessment

objective indications of illness or injury that can be seen, heard, felt, and smelled by another individual

• signs

• symptoms

subjective indications of illness or injury that cannot be observed by another individual but are felt and reported by the patient

• signs

• symptoms

an overview of the scene to identify any obvious or potential hazards; consists of taking BSI precautions, determining the safety of the scene, identifying the mechanism of injury or nature or nature of illness, determining the number of patients, and identifying the need for additional resources

• interventions

• scene size-up

actions taken to correct or stabilize a patient's illness or injury

• interventions

• primary assessment

a quick assessment of the patient's airway, breathing, circulation, and bleeding to detect and correct any immediate life-threatening problems

• primary assessment

• patient assessment

a standardized approach for performing a physical exam and obtaining a medical history on a patient

• patient assessment

• initial assessment

one who has or describes symptoms of an illness

• medical patient

• trauma patient

one who has a physical injury caused by an external force

• trauma patient

• medical patient

a complete head-to-toe physical exam, including medical history

• primary assessment

• secondary assessment

the reason EMS was called, in the patient's own words

• chief complaint

• immediate life threats