How to Conduct a Secondary Survey of an Injured Person

In a wilderness setting, the secondary survey provides crucial diagnostic information for an injured person.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Check the safety of the scene (see "How to Maximize the Safety of an Emergency Scene During First Aid").

2. Conduct a primary survey (see "How to Conduct a Primary Survey of an Injured Person During First Aid").

3. Take the injured person's vital signs and write them down (see "How to Measure and Record Vital Signs During First Aid").

4. Conduct a head-to-toe exam (see "How to Conduct a Head-to-Toe Exam During First Aid").

5. Take the person's medical history, assuming he or she is conscious (see "How to Take a Medical History During First Aid").

6. Go through the "AEIOUTIPS" possibilities for an unconscious injured person (see "How to Diagnose an Unconscious Injured Person").

7. Step back. Think carefully and consult with other trained rescuers before making a treatment and/or evacuation plan. Review your findings, rule out what is most unlikely, decide on a diagnosis and prioritize.

8. Make a plan for treatment and/or evacuation, depending on your findings and careful assessment.

9. Re-perform the secondary survey, or relevant parts of it, as demanded by changes in the injured person's condition.

Tips & Warnings

• Record all the information you gather; it will be invaluable once you've transferred care to medical professionals. Preferably, have someone other than the primary rescuer do this.
• The importance of stepping back and evaluating the situation calmly can't be overemphasized: Any time you spend at this juncture - thinking, considering, consulting, planning - will surely save you time and mistakes down the road.
• Continually monitor for shock, which can strike at any time during the rescue process (see eHows on shock).
• This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment.

Who Can Help Sponsored

• How to Lose 30+lbs Guaranteed. Try it Free.

[cmuir08]

on 8/9/2008 http://www.ehow.com/how_4476887_properly-use-crutches.html