“An assessment”

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bdoss2006

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When someone in EMS says “an assessment” generally, what level of assessment are they referring to? A whole head to toe, or just whatever the situation constitutes? What is the least you would consider “an assessment”?
 
looking at someone? a cursory visual assessment?

if you step in the front door, and you see the person in a tripod position, audibly wheezing, have you conducted an assessment?

is it complete, no, but you can tell certain things about the patient, and you don't even need to be a paramedic to assess a person.
 
DrParasite said:
looking at someone? a cursory visual assessment?

if you step in the front door, and you see the person in a tripod position, audibly wheezing, have you conducted an assessment?

is it complete, no, but you can tell certain things about the patient, and you don't even need to be a paramedic to assess a person.
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that answers my question. I think a lot of the reason for all my questions is assessment in general is a weak point for me. Not the actual steps to it, that I can do in my sleep, but when to assess what and how to document it, what is considered something etc. the rest of the skills and knowledge I have a strong understanding of, it’s just the assessment that gets me.
 
bdoss2006 said:
When someone in EMS says “an assessment” generally, what level of assessment are they referring to? A whole head to toe, or just whatever the situation constitutes? What is the least you would consider “an assessment”?
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It would depend on the context. If you were being tested and your examiner asked for an assessment, assume they want everything. But in the field, you'd rarely be told, "Give me an assessment." It would probably be less formal, like "What's going on?" or "Whaddaya got?" You should be able to hit the highlights -- e.g., CC, HPI, PMH, PE, TX -- in less than a minute.
 
CCCSD said:
This is the same question he posted when he first joined.
What is it that the OP doesn’t understand about pt care?

I’m betting this is a Troll account.
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Here we go… no it is not the same question. The first one after I joined was “what do people write on their gloves”. I have never asked this question before. I just said above what I didn’t understand. And no, this is not a troll account.
 
DrParasite said:
looking at someone? a cursory visual assessment?

if you step in the front door, and you see the person in a tripod position, audibly wheezing, have you conducted an assessment?

is it complete, no, but you can tell certain things about the patient, and you don't even need to be a paramedic to assess a person.
Click to expand...
Let me ask you this one, since you seem to be the only one on here who wants to help.

I want to inquire a little more on advising people to not go to the hospital. I mean I know you can obviously advise them not too in a situation such as a “stubbed toe”, but what about something like chest pain, head injury, abdominal pain etc., when you can’t see inside the body to rule out other things. Of course you can go by vital signs and presentation, but is that enough to discourage them? One situation specific question, when can a sports player be released to play after a possible head injury? In a head injury situation, what constitutes having signs of a possible concussion? Of course there’s the headache and nausea that a lot of people complain of after a head injury, but I’ve heard providers tell patient then didn’t have any signs of a concussion with those symptoms. What symptoms would you call signs of a concussion? I’m probably overthinking things.
 
bdoss2006 said:
Let me ask you this one, since you seem to be the only one on here who wants to help.

I want to inquire a little more on advising people to not go to the hospital. I mean I know you can obviously advise them not too in a situation such as a “stubbed toe”, but what about something like chest pain, head injury, abdominal pain etc., when you can’t see inside the body to rule out other things. Of course you can go by vital signs and presentation, but is that enough to discourage them? One situation specific question, when can a sports player be released to play after a possible head injury? In a head injury situation, what constitutes having signs of a possible concussion? Of course there’s the headache and nausea that a lot of people complain of after a head injury, but I’ve heard providers tell patient then didn’t have any signs of a concussion with those symptoms. What symptoms would you call signs of a concussion? I’m probably overthinking things.
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As a general practice, when I was on the ambulance (per-covid), I never advised people to not go to the hospital. I've seen more than my share of ambulances used as taxis, but at the end of the day, if they want to go, lets go. I get paid the same, my boss is happier, and it's less liability for me. Others might have different perspectives on that, but discouraging people from going to the hospital was never in my job description.

Taking your stubbed toe situation, why not? maybe they need x rays, and to be fitted for a boot. Maybe they don't have a car, and are unable to go to an urgent care. maybe it's 3am, they are writhing in pain, and nothing else is open. If they want to go, I'll take them; they might end up in triage for a few hours, which I will tell them, but I never would advise someone not to go. even if they don't want to go, I will always tell them to follow up with their PMD at their earliest convenience.

Can athletes be refuse transport after a head injury? of course... simply having a concussion doesn't mean you need to go to the ER; I know I didn't when I gave myself a concussion at work. Also doesn't mean you need to drag a person kicking and screaming against their will to the hospital. And if you want to drag a competent 300 lb linebacker against his will to the hospital for a possible head injury, that's probably not going to go well for you. I also don't clear athletes to play, that's an above my paygrade decision. Truth be told, if an athlete gets hurt, and doesn't want to go to the hospital, and I think they should, I'm going to speak to the head coach, and do my best to convince him or her to be evaluated, as the athlete will listen to the coach more than me. Works great with firefighters too.

We don't give medical advice here, so I don't want to provide you with the signs and symptoms and have someone misinterpret something I am saying... and Google's Gemini says "A concussion diagnosis is based on a combination of a physical exam, review of medical history, and tests that evaluate a patient's symptoms, cognitive function, and brain function"

however, these are are great resources for the signs and symptoms of a concussion, from people waaaay smarter than I:

www.aans.org

Concussion

A concussion is an injury to the brain that results in temporary loss of normal brain function. Medically, it is defined as a clinical syndrome
www.aans.org www.aans.org
www.cdc.gov

Signs and Symptoms of Concussion

Children and teens may have one or more of the signs.
www.cdc.gov www.cdc.gov
baselinetesting.com

Ultimate Concussion 101 Guide: Symptoms, Signs, Treatment and Rehab

A concussion is the most common type of traumatic brain injury. Read our Concussion 101 Guide to know the signs and symptoms to report to a healthcare provider.
baselinetesting.com baselinetesting.com
 
bdoss2006 said:
Here we go… no it is not the same question. The first one after I joined was “what do people write on their gloves”. I have never asked this question before. I just said above what I didn’t understand. And no, this is not a troll account.
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Nope. These are the SAME questions you’ve posted before.

Go to EMT school.
 
bdoss2006 said:
that answers my question. I think a lot of the reason for all my questions is assessment in general is a weak point for me. Not the actual steps to it, that I can do in my sleep, but when to assess what and how to document it, what is considered something etc. the rest of the skills and knowledge I have a strong understanding of, it’s just the assessment that gets me.
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When do you actually stop assessing the patient during a call?

Are you only making a single assessment of the patient when you first meet them then ignore them during transport? Or, are you watching the patient for any changes in condition... aka reassessing them regularly?

A better way to phrase this question (assuming you were actually trained properly as an EMT) is "When do you document the initial assessment and when do you document any changes in condition that you noticed during your reassessments?" If you were to ask that question, I think it answers itself.
 
bdoss2006 said:
It is NOT the same question. I have been to EMT school, and certified for a year.
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Yet you still can’t function at a basic level. ALL your questions are similar, and you refuse to understand anything you are told.
Based on your lack of knowledge, I’d pull your certification until you demonstrated the ability to do the job and comprehend it.

You really need to not touch patients.
 
And that's the end of this one too. You don't get to re-ask the same questions from another thread locked earlier today.
 
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