At normal speed on the standard setting, the EKG paper moves through the machine at 25 mm/second.
The parent should be with and hold the child in order to decrease the child’s anxiety and increase cooperativeness. The brachial artery is usually used in the young child due to the body makeup making it difficult to palpate the radial artery. Using the stethoscope while the parent distracts the child will be the least invasive method. The parents can assist with obtaining the child’s cooperation, but obtaining accurate vital signs is the responsibility of the medical assistant.
Fowler’s position is a seated position with legs elevated and the head up at a 90-degree angle. If the patient has orthopnea, they will have difficulty breathing, so the upright position would be the position of choice.
The Snellen test is a measure of vision. It measures the visual acuity by using the eye chart to compare the patient’s vision to what can normally be read at 20 feet away.
This information would be found in the social history along with other personal information about the patient. Family history (B) would provide information about the immediate family. The review of systems (A) is done by the physician when he examines that patient about the current issue.
The carotid pulse is used more frequently in an emergency, such as when a patient has fainted, or evaluating the effectiveness of CPR.
Measuring the height of older adult patients is a general screening for osteoporosis, which can cause bone degeneration that results in a decline in stature. This condition does not commonly occur in children, so (A) is incorrect. Item (B) is a metabolic index used to calculate body fat in patients. Uterine fundus measurement (D) is a gross measure of fetal growth during pregnancy. Item (E) is not related to osteoporosis.
The ophthalmoscope would be used to examine the eye. The Snellen test (E) measures visual acuity. The tuning fork (B) and the otoscope (A) would be used to evaluate the ears.
OSHA or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is responsible for the OSHA standard precaution guidelines that were established in 1992.
Artifacts are unwanted distortions in an EKG tracing that interfere with diagnostic interpretation of the tracing. AC interference (A) is caused by improper grounding or electrical currents in a room that may cause sharp spikes in the tracing. To avoid this artifact, ensure that the bed is not close to the wall, that a three-prong outlet is used, and that the patient’s right leg lead is properly attached. An interrupted baseline (C) is a sharp break in the tracing that appears when a wire is broken or a lead detached from the skin. Somatic tremor (D) is caused by muscle movement and is associated with motions like shivering or symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. A wandering baseline (E) is often caused by poor electrode connections; possible causes of this problem are lotions, powders, or stockings worn on the skin and poor-quality electrolytes on the electrodes.
The word ophthalmoscope breaks down into the root ophthalm, meaning “eyes,” and scope, meaning “an instrument that views.” An audiometer (A) tests hearing, while an otoscope (C) is used to examine the ears. An Ishihara chart (D) is used to test for colorblindness, and a Snellen chart (E) is used to screen vision, but neither is used to examine the eyes.
Patients should not be encouraged or allowed to put their arms around your neck as you assist them with standing; this could lead to injury of your neck and back. While a patient may need to put their arms on your shoulders (depending on the situation), you should have patients do as much as they can for themselves. If in doubt, get assistance from someone else in order to avoid injuring yourself. Avoiding lifting objects over your head (A), bending at the knees to lift objects (B), and using a gait belt when helping patients to stand (D) are all examples of proper body mechanics. The patient will be much more stable and able to contribute to ambulation if you provide stability to their stronger side when assisting (E).
From the beginning of the P wave to the end of the T wave is one cardiac cycle (or one heartbeat). The P wave represents atrial depolarization, the QRS wave represents ventricular depolarization and atrial repolarization, and the T wave represents ventricular repolarization.
Sterilization aims to remove all microorganisms, including spores. Sanitization (A) should be viewed as the preparatory phase for sterilization as items are physically cleaned. Disinfection (C) is more aggressive than sanitization and removes a great deal of microorganisms, but not all of them. Hand washing (D) is the most effective means for preventing the spread of germs, but it does not remove all microorganisms. Gloving (E) is a means to prevent the spread of infections and protect both yourself and the patient but will not remove any microorganisms.
A patient who has developed antibodies to a disease, either by being infected with the disease and recovering or by receiving a vaccine, is no longer a susceptible host. Therefore the chain is broken at this stage, and the patient would not get the infection. The infectious agent (A) is still present, and the portals of entry (B) and exit (C) are still in place; without susceptibility, however, the individual will not get the disease. The infectious agent will continue to grow within the reservoir (E), or body of the infected individual, which can be spread to others via the portal of entry and exit.