1. STS: Patient Communication & Vitals
September 19th, 2016

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

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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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.

8. 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!

9. 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