Chapter 4 Emergency Preparedness and Assessment

The Importance of Observational Skills During an Emergency Look Listen Touch Smell 2

Plan for Emergency Action Emergency Action Plan (EAP) Written plan of emergency action procedures and roles Must be practiced until everyone feels confident to perform appropriate duties without confusion Record, and put on file, each date and time the EAP is practiced. 3

Plan for Emergency Action EAP Considerations Plan must work under various circumstances, conditions, and in various locations Part of EAP is to prevent emergency situations from occurring EAP should designate which person will take care of each emergency procedure 4

Communicating with Emergency Medical Services (EMS) When contacting EMS, the EMS authority will need: The severity of the injury The type of first aid being provided The address and location of the injured athlete Where you will meet the EMS team 5

Communicating with Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Know the athlete. Past injuries Special medical conditions Tolerance for pain 6

Implementing Emergency Procedures Move quickly; do not panic. Stay in charge of the situation until a more skilled health care provider arrives. If another more skilled provider is not available, proceed with the appropriate amount of first aid until someone with higher qualifications arrives. 7

Universal Precautions Universal Precautions require the use of gloves whenever blood or other body fluids are present. Because there is a greater chance of exposure to blood in contact sports, gloves are included in all procedures. 8

The Primary Survey An examination of the patient to determine the presence of any life- threatening emergencies Assessment for life-threatening situations Airway, breathing, severe bleeding, and/or shock 9

The Primary Survey Circulation Establish that there is no breathing or inadequate breathing. Airway Is the airway open? Breathing Is the patient breathing? Is the chest moving? 10

When the Patient’s Airway is Not Clear Do not move the patient’s head or neck in case of spinal injuries. Always treat the unconscious patient as if there is a spinal injury. 11

When the Patient’s Airway is Not Clear 1. Wear gloves. 2. Grasp the mouth and open the jaw with the thumb and index finger. 3. Use the index finger to do a finger sweep to remove a foreign object. Take care not to cause the object to move farther back and cause an obstruction. 12

When the Patient’s Airway is Not Clear 4.Make an airway using the head-tilt/chin-lift maneuver. Note that an injured player’s football helmet must never be taken off if there is any chance of a neck injury. In an emergency, airway can be accessed by removing face mask completely Trainer’s Angel or other removal device 13

If the Patient is Not Breathing 1.Call for help, activate EMS, and have the helper get an AED. 2.Cut back the uniform and shoulder pads and begin compressions. 3.Follow compressions with rescue breaths. 14

The Secondary Survey A head-to-toe physical assessment done on patients to determine the extent of illness or injury Some injuries are obvious, but others are not so obvious. Information is used to evaluate whether treatment can be provided to athlete, or if EMS should be called 15

Isolated Injury Assessment If an injury is witnessed, this may be a more appropriate assessment than secondary survey Only the area of injury is evaluated. 16

HOPS Objective of this procedure is careful and methodical injury assessment History Examples of questions include: How did the injury happen? When did it happen? Has it happened before? Observation Is there swelling, deformity, bleeding, etc.? 17

HOPS Palpation Ask the athlete to point to the area that hurts. Feel for deformities, spasms, pulses, breaks in the skin, and changes in temperature. Special tests Check the active range of motion, then check the passive range of motion. 18

Movement of the Athlete Provide any necessary emergency first aid before moving the athlete. If the athlete is breathing and shows any symptoms that indicate a head or spinal cord problem, leave the athlete in the position produced by the incident. 19

Movement of the Athlete If the spine-injured patient is not breathing, stabilize the spine, turn the patient carefully using the log-roll procedure, and begin CPR. If there are no symptoms of head or neck injury, assist the athlete to sitting position. Reevaluate the patient; check for dizziness and coherence. Bring patient to standing position and recheck to ensure no changes in signs or symptoms 20

Movement of the Athlete If everything is alright while the athlete is standing, move him/her to the bench for a better assessment. If signs/symptoms change, help the patient to lie down and call EMS. 21