To minimize the risk of litigation, the EMT should:

• always transport patients to the hospital of their choice.

• provide competent care that meets current standards.

• use universal precautions with every patient encounter.

• utilize at least four personnel when moving a patient.

Which of the following general statements regarding consent is correct?

• A patient can consent to transport but can legally refuse treatment.

• Patients who are intoxicated are generally allowed to refuse treatment.

• Expressed consent is valid only if given in writing by a family member.

• All patients older than 18 years can legally refuse treatment or transport.

Which type of consent is involved when a 39-year-old, mentally competent female with a severe headache asks you to take her to the hospital?

• Formal

• Implied

• Informed

• Expressed

Which of the following scenarios is an example of informed consent?

• A patient advises an EMT of why he or she is refusing care.

• An EMT advises a patient of the risks of receiving treatment.

• An EMT initiates immediate care for an unconscious adult.

• A patient is advised by an EMT of the risks of refusing care.

Which of the following types of consent allows treatment of a patient who is unconscious or mentally incapacitated?

• Actual

• Implied

• Informed

• Expressed

You are dispatched to an office building for a 49-year-old male with chest pain. When you arrive at the scene, you find the patient to be conscious and alert but in obvious pain. He tells you that he did not call 911; a coworker did. He further states that he does not want to be treated or transported to the hospital. You should:

• ensure that he is aware of the risks of refusing medical care.

• err in the best interest of the patient and transport him at once.

• have him sign a refusal of care form and then return to service.

• tell him that he is having a heart attack and needs medical care.

You suspect that a pregnant 16-year-old girl has a broken leg after she was hit by a car. You explain that you plan to splint her leg, and she agrees to treatment. Which of the following types of consent describes her agreement?

• Implied

• Informed

• Expressed

• Minor’s

In many states, a minor may be treated as an adult for the purpose of consenting to or refusing medical treatment if the minor:

• possesses a valid driver’s license.

• is mentally competent and able to refuse.

• has a poor relationship with his or her parents.

• is self-supporting and lives by him- or herself.

You arrive at the scene of a motor vehicle-versus-pedestrian accident. The patient, a 13-year-old male, is unconscious and has multiple injuries. As you are treating the child, a law enforcement officer advises you that the child’s parents will be at the scene in approximately 15 minutes. What should you do?

• Transport the child immediately and have the parents meet you at the hospital.

• Treat the child at the scene and wait for the parents to arrive and give consent.

• Begin transport at once and have the parents meet you en route to the hospital.

• Withhold treatment until the parents arrive and give you consent for treatment.

You are dispatched to a middle school for a 16-year-old female experiencing an asthma attack. She is conscious and alert but in severe respiratory distress. The school nurse informs you that she has tried several times to contact the patient’s parents but has not been successful. You should:

• provide treatment up to your level of training and transport the child at once.

• recognize that you cannot begin treatment without expressed parental consent.

• transport the child to the closest hospital and let the staff there provide any treatment.

• administer oxygen only until you receive parental consent for further treatment.