STS: Patient Communication & Vitals September 19th, 2016

Professionalism Be courteous Treat patient with respect Talk firmly but still friendly Watch your words Stay composed

Body Language Body language says it all Approach with confidence (and stay confident) Stand up tall Get on their level

Introduction Introduce yourself and your partner What your role is Ask for name and ID A&O questions Continue the conversation and assessment Keep it smooth

Follow Up Questions Loosely written script Follow where the evidence leads Gather as much information as possible Observe surroundings (e.g. vomit, drinks, drugs) Nausea? Pain? Recurrence? OPQRST relevance Ask bystanders/friends to confirm what happened

Comfort Assess condition Try to find position of comfort if possible Environment Sitting/standing Prevent further injury Give help as long as it doesn’t interfere with the assessment

Vitals B- blood pressure (mmHg) E- eyes PEARRL L- level of consciousness (ALOC) L- lung sounds S- skin signs R- respirations (breaths/min) P- pulse (beat/min) P- pulse oximeter (%) Take VS in order of precedence depending on what you observe and the situation.

Vitals Time to practice! Aim for under 2 minutes! Get into small groups to practice taking vitals and time each other. Get at least 3 sets of vitals then take vitals on an E-team member while they time you. Aim for under 2 minutes!

Scenario Dispatch: 18 y/o patient at THH, suspected EtOH Dispatch: 18 y/o patient, suspected ETOH - Friend present, but also ETOH and doesn’t want pt to get into trouble. Very worried. General impression: small cut bleeding on forehead, pool of vomit nearby; patient slumped over on ground, not belligerent C/C: none A&O 2 - Neg for HNB pain - Pt didn’t fall, but hit head - EMT should hold C-spine, but pt resists A: bees M: none P: broke finger in elementary school L: no food, a lot of beers + 3 shots in last 2 hours E: playing beer pong, took shots, walked to get water but walked into pole (friend can confirm) - Friend says they threw up once - Pt scared that parents will find out - EMT should try and convince pt and friend B: 104/68 E: PERRL L: clear S: warm, dry R: 16 breaths/min P: 108 beats/min, strong P: 96 Tx: bandaid, transport to Med Tent