daedalus
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The often claimed "most important thing in EMS" (I agree) is the patient assessment. How do you approach it?
I have taken the proper method in stride so I do not have to relearn later. I do this on every prehospital call in the same order:
General information (age, sex, ethnicity)
quick scan of ABCs
C/C (why were we called today?)
HPI (history of present illness)
aka OPQRST
Prior medical and surgical history
Family and social history (rarely appropriate but sometimes I ask about ETOH and drug use)
Allergies
Medications
Review of systems (I actually do this, at least the relevant body systems. If you do not do this, start doing it. Your histories will become so much better. The other day I caught so many missed symptoms and complaints on a abdominal pain patient by just going through the GI review)
and than the exam
general (vital signs, LOC)
and appropriate body systems.
I found that doing it this way makes me feel competent and thorough, and I have been giving better reports since.
I know this is all pretty basic, but it seems like the basic stuff is what we need to work on getting down. How about you?
I have taken the proper method in stride so I do not have to relearn later. I do this on every prehospital call in the same order:
General information (age, sex, ethnicity)
quick scan of ABCs
C/C (why were we called today?)
HPI (history of present illness)
aka OPQRST
Prior medical and surgical history
Family and social history (rarely appropriate but sometimes I ask about ETOH and drug use)
Allergies
Medications
Review of systems (I actually do this, at least the relevant body systems. If you do not do this, start doing it. Your histories will become so much better. The other day I caught so many missed symptoms and complaints on a abdominal pain patient by just going through the GI review)
and than the exam
general (vital signs, LOC)
and appropriate body systems.
I found that doing it this way makes me feel competent and thorough, and I have been giving better reports since.
I know this is all pretty basic, but it seems like the basic stuff is what we need to work on getting down. How about you?
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