Paramedic Care: Principles & Practice, 4th edition

Bledsoe/ Porter/ Cherry

Volume 1 Introduction to Paramedicine

Chapter 9 EMS System Communications

1) A(n) ________ system uses a computer to route transmissions to the first available frequency.
A) Repeater
B) Digital
C) Encrypted
D) Trunked

2) Which of the following is most effective in helping the dispatcher get information from
distressed callers?
A) Having supervisors get on the line with the callers
B) A standard set of medically approved questions
C) Long pauses to allow the callers to collect their thoughts
D) Loud and authoritative language

3) The type of communication system that works like a telephone is:

A) Ultrasimplex
B) Multiplex
C) Simplex
D) Duplex

4) Which of the following is NOT a guideline for effective radio use?

A) Press the transmit button for one second before speaking.
B) Use codes that are part of your neighboring EMS system.
C) Speak in a normal pitch, keeping your voice free of emotion.
D) Do not waste airtime with unnecessary information.

5) Paramedics and other EMTs becoming affordable in rural communities and also helping to fill
gaps in primary health care services is a concept of:
A) Community paramedicine
B) Creation of ad hoc databases
C) Medical quality video
D) Public safety answering points

6) The acronym PSAP stands for:

A) Paramedic system answering point
B) Prehospital safety and prevention
C) Public safety answering point
D) Public safety agency paramedics

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7) Cellular telephone systems use ________ to transmit communications.
A) Shortwave technology
B) Underground cables
C) Satellite technology
D) Regional radio base stations

8) The dispatcher’s directions to the caller for appropriate emergency measures are known as:
A) Enhanced 911 service
B) Priority dispatching
C) Prearrival instructions
D) Call coordination

9) Without formal transfer of care to the receiving hospital, paramedics could be charged with:
A) Malpractice
B) Abuse
C) Abandonment
D) Neglect

10) Because only the necessary resources are sent on each call, priority dispatching has which of
the following benefits?
A) Minimizes responder responsibilities
B) Saves time and money
C) Reduces patient anxiety
D) Keeps dispatchers alert

11) The number of times per minute a radio wave oscillates is its:
A) Frequency
B) Amplitude
C) Wavelength
D) Bandwidth

12) Which of the following is the key link in the chain that results in the best possible patient
outcome?
A) Conceptualization
B) Communication
C) Coordination
D) Confrontation

13) In terms of written communication, a neat and complete PCR is a good indicator of which of
the following paramedic traits?
A) Professionalism
B) Compassion
C) Promotion suitability
D) General intelligence level

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14) How can AACN improve outcomes with seriously injured patients?
A) Assisting with field triage destination and transportation decisions
B) Increasing response times by prehospital care providers
C) Predicting the unlikelihood of serious injury among vehicle occupants
D) Increasing the time it takes for patients to receive definitive trauma care

15) Multiplex systems transmit:

A) Voice simultaneously in two ways
B) On the same frequency as they receive
C) Using digital encryption technology
D) Voice and data simultaneously

16) When a radio transmission comes in, a computer routes it to the first available frequency.
This is known as:
A) Trunking
B) A computer
C) A TTY
D) A facsimile machine

17) The prehospital care report is all of the following, EXCEPT a(n):
A) Legal record of the incident
B) Public record
C) Indicator of professionalism
D) Part of the patient’s permanent medical record

18) What is the last step in the sequence of communications during an EMS response?
A) Calling 911
B) Transferring communications
C) Emergency medical dispatch
D) Citizen detection and access

19) The emergency medical dispatcher has just finished interrogating a caller. The next step
would be for the dispatcher to:
A) Follow established guidelines to determine the appropriate level of response
B) Call the patient’s insurance company for preapproval
C) Contact the patient’s physician to determine the legitimacy of the call
D) Send a first responder engine company and paramedics

20) Systems that transmit and receive on the same frequency are ________ systems.
A) Multiplex
B) Duplex
C) Simplex
D) Trunked

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21) All of the following are other technology applications with broadband implications that the
national EMS communications initiatives have suggested, EXCEPT:
A) Patient multi-vital-signs monitoring
B) Infrared crowd disease detection
C) Wire-based speech-to-monitor transcription
D) Creation of ad hoc multicomponent patient databases

22) Which of the following radio waves can penetrate through concrete and steel?
A) UHF
B) VHF
C) ICT
D) GIS

23) You are giving a report to the base physician. After stating the patient’s age, sex, and weight,
you should next:
A) Give the patient’s chief complaint
B) Give the hospital the ETA
C) Relay treatments already rendered
D) Request specific orders

24) Without proper terminology and verbal communications skills, the receiver will be unable to
________ the message.
A) Decode
B) Resend
C) Encode
D) Receive

25) Immediate repetition of medical orders received during radio communications is known as
the:
A) Verification protocol
B) Echo procedure
C) Standard format
D) Response algorithm

26) Regulation of communications at the federal level includes all of the following, EXCEPT:
A) Licensing technical personnel
B) Establishing technical standards
C) Establishing terminology
D) Allocating radio frequencies

27) Information on the prehospital care reports may be used by which of the following in certain
circumstances?
A) Hospital staff
B) Insurance claims departments
C) Attorneys
D) All of the above

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28) The main duties of the dispatcher, after sending the responders and providing prearrival
instructions, include:
A) Transferring communications
B) Discussing medical direction
C) Directing the crew to an appropriate receiving facility
D) Supporting and coordinating

29) What is semantics?

A) A standard format for delivering information
B) The meaning of words
C) Effective communications
D) Process of exchanging information between individuals

30) The practice of notifying a receiving hospital of an ambulance’s impending arrival began in
the:
A) 1960s
B) 1970s
C) 1980s
D) 1990s

31) The step following prearrival instructions in an EMS response is:

A) Coordinate call and report incident
B) Discuss medical direction
C) Transfer communications
D) Take call and effect emergency response

32) Which of the following best explains the reason for the need to communicate effectively with
other responders?
A) To coordinate and implement the treatment plan
B) To summon EMS through a PSAP
C) To make sure you can recover your equipment afterward
D) To exchange career information

33) Medical audits, research, and policy changes can improve patient care through information
collected from:
A) Prehospital care reports
B) Crew activity logs
C) Vehicle maintenance logs
D) Disciplinary action records

34) The verbal report to the receiving hospital should always include vital information, chief
complaint, and:
A) Personal physician’s information
B) Treatments rendered
C) Next-of-kin name and telephone number
D) EMS unit status

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35) In addition to giving emergency instruction to the caller, a dispatcher can also use prearrival
instructions to:
1. Comfort a distressed caller
2. Elicit additional information
3. Provide emotional support
4. Coordinate responders
A) 1 and 2 only
B) 1, 3, and 4
C) 1, 2, and 3
D) All of the above

36) When preparing a written report, you must remain aware that it is a(n) ________ and a part
of your patient’s permanent medical record.
A) Representation of the care you provided
B) Legal record
C) Document used for continuous quality improvement
D) All of the above

37) ________ communications are condensed and require a decoder to translate.

A) Cellular
B) Analog
C) Digital
D) Telephone

38) The first part of the EMS response to an incident is:

A) Discussion with medical direction
B) Prearrival instructions
C) Detection and citizen access
D) Call coordination

39) In most systems 911 callers are first routed to the ________, which then sends the call to
________.
A) EMS-C, PSAP
B) PSAP, base station
C) EMD, PAAP
D) PSAP, EMD

40) The federal agency that controls and regulates nongovernmental communications is the:
A) FCC
B) FAC
C) FCA
D) FAA

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41) Specialized terms for radio use enhance communications by:
A) Lengthening airtime and transmitting thoughts quickly
B) Shortening airtime and transmitting thoughts quickly
C) Rationing airtime and transmitting thoughts reasonably accurately
D) Shortening airtime and transmitting thoughts reasonably accurately

42) The ________, the public’s first contact with the EMS system, plays a crucial role in every
EMS response.
A) Emergency medical technician
B) Emergency medical dispatcher
C) Paramedic
D) First responder

43) The transfer of care to the receiving facility staff should always include:
A) Having the physician examine the report
B) Giving a formal verbal briefing
C) Having the nurse sign the prehospital chart
D) Immediately notifying the dispatcher that the unit is back in service

44) The prehospital care report (PCR) is a written record of events that includes administrative
and ________ information.
A) Weather
B) Medical
C) Vehicle maintenance
D) Extraneous

45) The process of interrogating callers with medical questions to elicit information and then
determine the proper level of response is known as:
A) Telephone triage
B) Acuity assignment
C) Call queueing
D) Priority dispatching

46) How do reports to the base physician differ for trauma and medical patients?
A) It is less important to include ETA for medical patients.
B) Only trauma patients require a description of the scene.
C) Medical reports describe a chief complaint while trauma reports do not.
D) Medical reports emphasize history; trauma reports emphasize injuries and exam findings.

47) Using terminology widely accepted by the emergency services and medical community when
giving a report to emergency department personnel is important because:
A) Semantics enhance effective communication
B) The receiver must be able to decode the message
C) Verbal communication is the preferred medium
D) “10-codes” are meaningless to physicians

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48) One of the first bits of information to be transmitted to the base physician is the:
A) Estimated time of arrival to the hospital
B) Request for specific orders
C) Unit and provider information
D) Treatments already rendered

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