AMLS Assessment for the Medical
Patient
What is pathophysiology? - answerPathophysiology or physiopathology is a
convergence of pathology with physiology. Pathology is the medical discipline that
describes conditions typically observed during a disease state, whereas physiology is
the biological discipline that describes processes or mechanisms operating within an
organism.
What is AMLS? - answerA dependable framework to support the reduction of morbidity
and mortality by using an assessment based approach to determine a differential
diagnosis an effectively manage a broad range of medical emergencies.
What is assessment-based patient management? - answerUtilizing the patients cardinal
presentation; historical, diagnostic and physical exam findings; and ones own critical
thinking skills as a healthcare professional to diagnose and treat a patient.
Blood Pressure - answerThe tension exerted by blood on the aertial walls. Blood
pressure is calculated using the following... BP= Flow x Resistance
Cardinal Presentation - answerThe patients primary presenting sign or symptom; often
this is the patients chief complaint, but it may be an objective finding such as
unconsciousness or choking.
Clinical Decision Making - answerThe ability to integrate assessment findings and test
data with experience and evidence based recommendations to make decisions
regarding the most appropriate treatment.
Clinical Reasoning - answerThe second conceptual component undermining the AMLS
assessment pathway, which combines good judgement with clinical experience to make
accurate diagnoses and initiate proper treatment. This process assumes the provider
has a strong foundation of clinical knowledge.
Differential Diagnosis - answerThe possible causes of the patients cardinal presentation
Pattern Recongition - answerRelating the healthcare providers knowledge of disease
pathyphysiology to the patients presenting signs and symptoms and recongizing if the
patient presentation fits a particular pattern.
Pharmokinetics - answerThe absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of
medications.
, Primary Survey - answerThe process of initially assessing the airway, breathing,
circulation, and perfusion status to identify and manage life-threatening conditions and
establish priorites for further assessment, treatment and transport.
Pulse Pressure - answerThe difference between the systolic and diastolic blood
pressure; normal pulse pressure is 30 to 40 mm Hg.
Secondary Survey - answerAn in depth systematic evaluation of the patients history,
physical exam, vital signs, and diagnostic information used to identify additional
emergent and nonemergent conditions and modify differential diagnoses and
management strategies.
Signs - answerObjective evidence that a healthcare professional observes, feels, sees,
hears, touches, or smells.
Symptoms - answerThe S in SAMPLER; the patients subjective perceptions of what
they feel, such as nausea, or have experienced, such as a sensation of seeing flashing
lights.
Therapeutic Communication - answerA communcation process in which the healthcare
provider uses effective communication skills to obtain information about the patient and
their condition, including the use of the four E's: Engagement, Empathy, Education,
Enlistment
Working Diagnosis - answerThe presumed cause of the patients condition, arrived at by
evaluating all assessment information thus far obtained while conducting further
diagnostic testing to definitively diagnose the illness
SCENARIO: At 0200 Medic 2 is dispatched to a difficulty breathing call. When pulling
out of the station you note to your partner... "this is our third pulmonary edema this
month" You walk into a single story home and find your patient in a hospital bed in the
living room. By your guess, she weighs over 600 pounds. You note that she is sweating,
has nasal flaring and is clearly working hard to breathe. As you begin your assessment,
your partner radios for the fire department for the specialized bariatric ambulance. She
is having difficulty speaking so the daughter steps in to mention that she has asthma, a
bad heart and says her mom just returned from the hospital 3 days ago after gastric
bypass surgery. You apply a non rebreather oxygen mask to your patient and prepare
to auscultate her breath sounds. As you ask your partner for an ETA of the additional
resources you requested, you note the dusky grey color of the pa - answerIn the
previous scenario of difficulty breathing in a bariatric patient, would you have considered
the risk of multiple medical conditions or focused solely on the respiratory system? Did
you link the this patients presentation and management strategies you've experienced
in difficulty breathing complaints to the recent patients who were diagnosed with
pulmonary edema? Did you consider the similarities and differences in patient
complaints, presentation and management and apply that knowledge to the patient?
Patient
What is pathophysiology? - answerPathophysiology or physiopathology is a
convergence of pathology with physiology. Pathology is the medical discipline that
describes conditions typically observed during a disease state, whereas physiology is
the biological discipline that describes processes or mechanisms operating within an
organism.
What is AMLS? - answerA dependable framework to support the reduction of morbidity
and mortality by using an assessment based approach to determine a differential
diagnosis an effectively manage a broad range of medical emergencies.
What is assessment-based patient management? - answerUtilizing the patients cardinal
presentation; historical, diagnostic and physical exam findings; and ones own critical
thinking skills as a healthcare professional to diagnose and treat a patient.
Blood Pressure - answerThe tension exerted by blood on the aertial walls. Blood
pressure is calculated using the following... BP= Flow x Resistance
Cardinal Presentation - answerThe patients primary presenting sign or symptom; often
this is the patients chief complaint, but it may be an objective finding such as
unconsciousness or choking.
Clinical Decision Making - answerThe ability to integrate assessment findings and test
data with experience and evidence based recommendations to make decisions
regarding the most appropriate treatment.
Clinical Reasoning - answerThe second conceptual component undermining the AMLS
assessment pathway, which combines good judgement with clinical experience to make
accurate diagnoses and initiate proper treatment. This process assumes the provider
has a strong foundation of clinical knowledge.
Differential Diagnosis - answerThe possible causes of the patients cardinal presentation
Pattern Recongition - answerRelating the healthcare providers knowledge of disease
pathyphysiology to the patients presenting signs and symptoms and recongizing if the
patient presentation fits a particular pattern.
Pharmokinetics - answerThe absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of
medications.
, Primary Survey - answerThe process of initially assessing the airway, breathing,
circulation, and perfusion status to identify and manage life-threatening conditions and
establish priorites for further assessment, treatment and transport.
Pulse Pressure - answerThe difference between the systolic and diastolic blood
pressure; normal pulse pressure is 30 to 40 mm Hg.
Secondary Survey - answerAn in depth systematic evaluation of the patients history,
physical exam, vital signs, and diagnostic information used to identify additional
emergent and nonemergent conditions and modify differential diagnoses and
management strategies.
Signs - answerObjective evidence that a healthcare professional observes, feels, sees,
hears, touches, or smells.
Symptoms - answerThe S in SAMPLER; the patients subjective perceptions of what
they feel, such as nausea, or have experienced, such as a sensation of seeing flashing
lights.
Therapeutic Communication - answerA communcation process in which the healthcare
provider uses effective communication skills to obtain information about the patient and
their condition, including the use of the four E's: Engagement, Empathy, Education,
Enlistment
Working Diagnosis - answerThe presumed cause of the patients condition, arrived at by
evaluating all assessment information thus far obtained while conducting further
diagnostic testing to definitively diagnose the illness
SCENARIO: At 0200 Medic 2 is dispatched to a difficulty breathing call. When pulling
out of the station you note to your partner... "this is our third pulmonary edema this
month" You walk into a single story home and find your patient in a hospital bed in the
living room. By your guess, she weighs over 600 pounds. You note that she is sweating,
has nasal flaring and is clearly working hard to breathe. As you begin your assessment,
your partner radios for the fire department for the specialized bariatric ambulance. She
is having difficulty speaking so the daughter steps in to mention that she has asthma, a
bad heart and says her mom just returned from the hospital 3 days ago after gastric
bypass surgery. You apply a non rebreather oxygen mask to your patient and prepare
to auscultate her breath sounds. As you ask your partner for an ETA of the additional
resources you requested, you note the dusky grey color of the pa - answerIn the
previous scenario of difficulty breathing in a bariatric patient, would you have considered
the risk of multiple medical conditions or focused solely on the respiratory system? Did
you link the this patients presentation and management strategies you've experienced
in difficulty breathing complaints to the recent patients who were diagnosed with
pulmonary edema? Did you consider the similarities and differences in patient
complaints, presentation and management and apply that knowledge to the patient?
