Term
| What is the chief complaint. |
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Definition
| The reason a patient called for help. |
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Term
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Definition
| Conditions that the patient feels and tells you about. |
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Term
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Definition
| Conditions thqt you can observe about the patient. |
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Term
| What is an initial assessment? |
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Definition
| A rapid evaluation of the patient's general condition to identify any potentially life-threatening conditions. |
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Term
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Definition
| Key signs that are used to evaluate the patient's overall condition, including respirations, pulse, blood pressure, level of consciousness and skin characteristics. |
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Term
| What are baseline vital signs? |
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Definition
| The first set of vital signs that you obtain. |
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Term
| Why are baseline vital signs significant? |
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Definition
| They are used to compare with later readings to identify any significant trends in the patient's condition, particularly whether the patient's condition is becoming worse. |
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Term
| What vital signs are always measured? |
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Definition
| Respirations, pulse and blood pressure. |
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Term
| Other than respirations, pulse and blood pressure, what other vital signs can be evaluated? |
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Definition
| Skin temperature and condition, capillary refill, pupillary reaction and level of consciousness. |
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Term
| What is it called when a patient is breathing without assistance? |
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Definition
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Term
| What are spontaneous respirations? |
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Definition
| When a patient is breathing without assistance. |
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Term
| When assessing respirations, you must determine the ____, _____ and _____ of the patient's breathing. |
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Definition
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