what is the importance of a good medical assessment from a emt-b's standpoint?

Answer 1

I completely agree with what the above answerer said. I'd also like to add the importance of doing your own assessment and not just taking for granted that the first responders (volunteers, fire medics, police officers) will have done a thorough assessment.
If you do a good and thorough medical assessment, you might discover problems that the patient did not initially reveal to you, or you might find out a different cause of the patient's symptoms. For example, with a SOB patient with a history of asthma. You could just assume that the patient's SOB is caused by the asthma, but if you ask a few more assessment questions, you might discover that the patient was working around chlorine bleach when the SOB started. Or with an altered mental status patient, with a history of DM and a low BS, you also might discover upon further assessment that the patient hit his head a few days ago, and has been progressively becoming more altered since. It's always a good idea not to develop "tunnel vision" and focus on the one problem to the exclusion of everything else, but continue to maintain a broad picture of the patient, using everything learned from the assessment, vitals, and such to figure out what is going on.
Hope this helps, and have a great day!

Answer 2

What I learned when I worked in the field as an MICP was that not all patients read the text book! Sometimes you will have a patient that falls into many different criteria based on their presenting symptoms. Where as in the case of an ALOC, you follow the protocols because unless you have a definitive PMH, it may not matter if the cause is Diabetes, (though this can be affirmed with blood glucose reading) ETOH, OD, etc. You have the standard TX. If you just load and go without doing a quick yet thorough assessment, you may miss a critical point that requires immediate attention, while focusing on TX. on what may not be the underlying cause. Not only does this undermine your credibility as a pre-hospital care provider with your associates, it certainly can haunt you because your competence is questionable to the Md's and Rn's you work with at the receiving medical facilities. Old saying... When you hear hoof beats, don't assume zebras! Remember utilizes all the clues that may be presenting. Scene, bystander reports, PMH, medications, patients physical appearance, mechanisms, secondary physical exam, and so forth. It's a lot to take in, but you do have a partner to help gather the info. as well. Work out a system with your partner so that working together, you lessen the chance a key point may be missed.

Answer 3

My guess is the better assessment given by the first responders will often be the difference between life and death.