How to Assess an Accident

Accident assessment is the most important function in treating accident victims. Without accurate assessment the true ailment of the patient may never be discovered. There are three phases of accident assessment: pre-assessment or the initial call for care, assessment of the environment where the patient is found and the triage of the patient. Patient assessment is the base line for all medical decisions. Accident assessment prepares medical staff and patients for upcoming treatment.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Collect as much data as possible from the initial phone call to the dispatcher. It is important to know the extent of the problem.
2. Prepare yourself mentally and emotionally for what you are about to encounter. Just when you think you have seen it all you will be called to assess a new situation you could never have imagined.
3. Create an environment of organized knowledge to onlookers. Control the situation immediately. It is important that assessment begin with general questions and then work into the more specific.
4. Assess the scene or environment as soon as you arrive. Part of the patient care will be comfort and stabilization. Determine what you will need to provide comfort to the patient and secure the scene.
5. Decide if other Emergency Services need to be called. Make an assessment of downed electric lines, hazardous waste materials, fire, broken glass and jagged metal. Call for help if needed.
6. Isolate your work area so that any criminal evidence from the accident scene is preserved. Never enter a scene where you feel unsafe.
7. Determine the number of patients who need treatment. Tag each patient so the urgency of care is visible and evacuate patients as soon as possible.

Tips & Warnings

• Extraction of pertinent information from the dispatcher is crucial to obtain before you arrive at the scene of an accident.
• Never put yourself in danger—you are at the scene to save lives not risk your own.