Wilderness Medicine has a nine step plan for, god forbid, handling medical emergencies in the wilderness by covering a plan or checklist for their nine step Patient Assessment System. I participated in Wilderness 1st Aid classes and mock emergencies I where I ‘hurt’ victims by rushing to judgments and offering improper assistance. The checklists force a process that ensures all aspects of the situation get addressed. If you aren’t going to take a Wilderness 1st Aid class or Wilderness 1st Responder, then at least read their full set of posts.
The Patient Assessment System
- The First Five Minutes
- Patient Assessment System – Scene Survey
- Patient Assessment System – Primary Survey
- Patient Assessment System – Vital Signs
- Patient Exam: What are their injuries?
- Patient Assessment System – AMPLE History: What is their past medical history?
A – Allergies
M – Medications
P – Previous Injury or Illness
L – Last Input and Output
E – Events leading up to the crisis
7. Patient Assessment System – SOAP: What is our patient care plan?
Subjective data: age, sex, the mechanism of injury, and the chief complaint
Objective data: vital signs, the patient exam, and the AMPLE history.
A – Assessment: (problem list)
P – Plan: (plan for each problem on the problem list)