Question: How do you think you could make an initial
assessment of the patient?
Answer: You should begin your assessment by simply
asking the patient 'are you alright?' An appropriate verbal response
indicates a patent airway with oxygen and circulation reaching the
brain.
Question: Then what would you do?
Answer: You should then look,
listen and feel for signs of critical
illness:
- Does the patient have a noisy airway (suggesting obstruction)?
- Is the patient struggling to breathe (increased respiratory rate,
use of accessory muscles, cyanosis) indicating problems with
breathing?
- Is the capillary refill time prolonged or the pulse weak? These can
be present with poor cardiac output
