First Responder EMS Curriculum for Training Centers in Eurasia

5. Demonstrate the steps in providing emergency medical care to a patient withshortness of breath.6. Demonstrate the steps in providing emergency medical care to a patient withabdominal pain.7. Demonstrate the steps in providing emergency medical care to a patient with anexposure to cold.8. Demonstrate the steps in providing emergency medical care to a patient with anexposure to heat.9. Demonstrate the steps in providing emergency medical care to a patient with abehavioral change.10. Demonstrate the steps in providing emergency medical care to a patient with apsychological crisis.2. IntroductionThe First Responder will encounter many different patients with various medicalconditions and complaints. Specific skills may be required for certain medical situations;however, it is important for the First Responder to remember the basic principles to usewhen evaluating any patient with a medical complaint. As always, the first priority will bethe assessment of the patient’s airway, breathing, and circulation (ABCs). Intervening toprotect or provide an airway, support breathing, and improve circulation is paramount. TheFirst Responder must be prepared to provide appropriate emergency medical care tovarious medical patients. In this section, we will discuss the First Responder assessmentand emergency medical treatment of a variety of common medical complaints.3. General Medical ComplaintsPatients may request emergency medical assistance for a variety of medical complaints.We will address many of these types of medical complaints in the following sections. TheFirst Responder will need to assess each patient to determine the patient’s initial chiefcomplaint. Assessment of the patient’s symptoms and physical signs follows thedetermination of the chief complaint. The role of the First Responder, whenever calledupon to provide emergency medical care, is to complete the First Responder assessment.This involves: (1) completing a scene size-up before initiating emergency medical care, (2)completing an initial assessment of all patients, (3) completing a physical exam as needed,(4) providing ongoing assessments until additional EMS resources/personnel arrive, and(5) providing comfort, calm, and reassurance to the patient.4. Specific Medical Complaintsa. Altered Mental StatusAltered mental status may be defined as a sudden or gradual decrease in the patient’slevel of consciousness, responsiveness, and understanding. This patient presentationmay vary from mild disorientation to complete unresponsiveness. Although the medicalconditions that may cause an altered mental status may vary, the approach to eachpatient is similar. Etiologies (causes) of an altered mental status include: (1) fever; (2)infections; (3) poisoning, including chemicals, alcohol, or drugs; (4) low or high bloodsugars; (5) insulin reactions; (6) head injury; (7) decreased levels of oxygen in the brain;and (8) psychiatric conditions.Determining the exact cause of a patient’s altered mental status is not the primary dutyof the First Responder. Knowledge regarding various illnesses and injuries, however,First Responder EMS Curriculum/AIHA, July 2002 125