EMT Lesson Plans

Chapter 8: Patient Assessment

National EMS Education Standard Competencies

Assessment

Applies scene information and patient assessment findings (scene size-up, primary and secondary assessment, patient history, and

reassessment) to guide emergency management.

History Taking

       

Determining the chief complaint (pp 280 – 282)

Mechanism of injury/nature of illness (pp 256 – 257)

Associated signs and symptoms (pp 280 – 282)

Investigation of the chief complaint (pp 280 – 282)

Past medical history (pp 280 – 282)

Pertinent negatives (p 282)

How and when to reassess patients (p 306)

How and when to perform a reassessment for all patient situations (p 306)

Knowledge Objectives

1. Discuss the process of taking a focused history, its key components, and its relationship to the primary assessment process. (pp 280 – 281) 2. Describe examples of different techniques an EMT may use to obtain information from patients during the history-taking process. (pp 280 – 287) 3. Discuss different challenges EMTs may face when taking a patient history on sensitive topics and strategies they may use to facilitate each situation. (pp 282 – 287)