Question: ABCs

Answer: airway, breathing, and circulation

Question: AVPU

Answer: a memory aid for classifying a patient’s level of responsiveness or mental status. The letters stand for alert, verbal response, painful response, unresponsive

Question: chief complaint

Answer: in emergency medicine, the reason EMS was called, usually in the patient’s own words

Question: general impression

Answer: impression of the patient’s condition that is formed on first approaching the patient, based on the patient’s environment, chief complaint, and appearance.

Question: interventions

Answer: actions taken to correct or manage a patient’s problems

Question: mental status

Answer: level of responsiveness

Question: primary assessment

Answer:

Question: priority

Answer: the decision regarding the need for immediate transport of the patient versus further assessment and care at the scene

Question: high-priority conditions

Answer: •poor general impression

•unresponsive

•responsive, but not following commands

•difficulty breathing

•shock

•complicated childbirth

•chest pain consistent with cardiac problems

•uncontrolled bleeding

•severe pain anywhere

Question: Approach to the Primary Assessment

Answer: