Deck 17: Clinical Decision Making

Question 1

____, experienced master Paramedics, accept graduate Paramedics as their protégés to teach good clinical decision making.

A) Managers
B) Gurus
C) Mentors
D) Stewards

Answer 1

Mentors

Question 2

Adrenaline can enlarge the Paramedic's focus, enabling the Paramedic to see the larger picture.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

This process of forming ideas, called ____, is based on inductive logic. Inductive logic begins with observations, such as the history and physical exam.

A) strategy formation
B) scene assessment
C) process adjustment
D) concept formation

Answer 3

concept formation

Question 4

Ordinarily, a Paramedic can easily make a diagnosis of a disease in the field.

Question 5

A(n) ____ is based on a myriad of factors such as patient presentation, environmental factors, gross observation, and resources on-scene.

A) primary field diagnosis
B) initial field diagnosis
C) initial field impression
D) primary field impression

Question 6

Clinical decision making is a process of systematic analysis, using medical intelligence and critical thinking, aided by input from the team, which in the end is the basis for a plan of care.

Question 7

Paramedics typically start patient care with ____, treatment based on initial observations obtained during the primary assessment.

A) scene therapy
B) empiric therapy
C) diagnostic therapy
D) collaborative therapy

Question 8

Shared clinical decision making fosters openness and trust between the patient and the Paramedic.

Question 9

While younger and better educated patients prefer to share clinical decision making, cultural and ethnic differences may decrease patient cooperation.

Question 10

When the Paramedic is faced with a situation in which several plausible explanations for a disorder exist and the Paramedic cannot narrow the causes down to one disease or another, then the Paramedic should treat the patient conservatively.

Question 11

The action imperative "don't just stand there, do something" is an imperative that should always be heeded by a Paramedic.

Question 12

The general findings of illness are often referred to as ____.

A) diagnoses
B) constitutional signs
C) predictable patterns
D) initial impressions

Question 13

While constitutional signs help to establish that the patient is not well and in need of supportive care, they do not assist the Paramedic toward reaching a clinical decision.

Question 14

____ is the process of shared decision making.

A) Patient concordance
B) Patient confluence
C) Patient collaboration
D) Patient correspondence

Question 15

A disorder is a collection of symptoms that characterize a condition or state.

Question 16

A ____ can be thought of as an idea which has an associated symptom complex and an associated field diagnosis and treatment plan.

A) script
B) process
C) guideline
D) standard

Question 17

The Paramedic uses ____, which is a process of systematic analysis and critical thinking, to make decisions that will be incorporated into a patient's treatment plan.

A) critical decision making
B) task-oriented decision making
C) clinical decision making
D) structured decision making

Question 18

____, simply stated, says that if all things are equal, the simplest solution tends to be the best one.

A) Newton's theory
B) Einstein's axiom
C) Pauli's principle
D) Ockham's razor

Question 19

The out-of-hospital environment is heavily influenced by factors that create an environment like no other where medicine is practiced.

Question 20

____ is the idea that one has the ability to control the situation.

A) Intrinsic locus of control
B) Intrinsic point of control
C) Internal locus of control
D) Internal point of control

Question 21

Paramedics who routinely perform tests, such as blood glucose analysis, without consideration of the meaning of the results may be practicing ____________________.

Question 22

____________________ is the process of learning from experience and past practice and then coming to a decision.

Question 23

In many cases, the Paramedic's decision in the field puts the patient onto a(n) ____________________.

Question 24

While the patient always has a right to make informed decisions about patient care, ____________________ decision making goes beyond consent and engages the patient in a conversation about clinical decision making whenever possible.

Question 25

____________________ are a set of mandatory behaviors meant to be applied in specific clinical conditions.