PHECC Paramedic key terms

A rapid, ordered assessment of airway, breathing, and circulation (with catastrophic haemorrhage control and disability/exposure) used to find and treat immediately life-threatening problems before any detailed examination.

Steps taken to stop major external bleeding, such as direct pressure, wound packing, or tourniquet use, performed before airway and breathing checks when bleeding is the greatest immediate threat to life.

A scored assessment of consciousness based on eye opening, verbal response, and best motor response, giving a total from 3 to 15 used to track neurological status and guide treatment and transport decisions.

A quick consciousness scale recording whether a patient is Alert, responds to Voice, responds to Pain, or is Unresponsive, used as a fast screening tool before or alongside a fuller neurological assessment.

A decision to limit on-scene care to essential stabilising interventions and transport the patient immediately, typically used for time-critical conditions such as major trauma, suspected stroke, or severe shock.

The concept that outcomes improve when definitive care for serious injury or illness is reached quickly, usually within about one hour of onset or injury, driving early transport and pre-alert decisions.

A structured message to the receiving hospital or specialist centre giving the patient's condition, vital signs, treatments given, and estimated arrival time so that staff and equipment are ready on arrival.

The structured transfer of patient information and responsibility from the pre-hospital crew to receiving clinicians, covering history, findings, interventions, and response to treatment, ideally using a consistent format.

A communication framework for reporting a patient's Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendation, used to give concise, organised handovers and referrals to other clinicians.

A device applied tightly around a limb above a bleeding wound to stop arterial haemorrhage when direct pressure and packing fail, with the application time recorded and the device not loosened once applied.

Firmly inserting haemostatic gauze or dressing material deep into a bleeding wound cavity to compress the source of bleeding, used for junctional and deep wounds where surface pressure is ineffective.

Severe bleeding from the transitional areas of the body such as the groin, axilla, or neck, where a standard limb tourniquet cannot be applied and direct pressure or packing is required.

A life-threatening build-up of air in the pleural space that progressively compresses the lung and shifts mediastinal structures, causing worsening respiratory distress, hypoxia, and hypotension that requires urgent decompression.

Insertion of a needle through the chest wall into the pleural space to release trapped air in a suspected tension pneumothorax, performed as an emergency procedure when the patient is deteriorating.

An occlusive or vented dressing applied over a penetrating chest wound to prevent air entering the pleural space while allowing trapped air to escape, reducing the risk of a developing tension pneumothorax.

An open chest injury in which air is drawn into the pleural cavity through the wound during breathing, recognised by audible air movement and treated with an appropriate chest seal.

A severe, rapidly developing systemic allergic reaction involving airway swelling, bronchospasm, and circulatory collapse, treated promptly with adrenaline and supportive care.

A drug that constricts blood vessels, relaxes bronchial muscle, and reduces allergic swelling, given by intramuscular injection as first-line treatment for anaphylaxis and repeated if the patient does not improve.

A pre-filled, spring-loaded device that delivers a fixed dose of drug such as adrenaline into muscle, designed so that a patient or responder can administer it with minimal training.

Delivery of a controlled electrical shock through the chest to stop chaotic ventricular activity and allow a normal rhythm to be restored, indicated for shockable cardiac arrest rhythms.

An automated external defibrillator: a portable device that analyses the heart rhythm and advises or delivers a shock, designed for use by trained responders and members of the public with minimal training.

A cardiac arrest rhythm that responds to defibrillation, namely ventricular fibrillation and pulseless ventricular tachycardia, as opposed to non-shockable rhythms such as asystole or pulseless electrical activity.

A cardiac arrest rhythm showing no electrical activity on the monitor, appearing as a flat line, which is not shockable and is managed with continuous high-quality CPR and treatment of reversible causes.

The linked sequence of actions that improves survival from cardiac arrest: early recognition and call for help, early CPR, early defibrillation, advanced care, and post-resuscitation care.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation: rhythmic chest compressions, with or without rescue breaths, that circulate oxygenated blood during cardiac arrest until defibrillation or advanced care restores output.

Potentially correctable conditions that may cause or maintain cardiac arrest, commonly remembered as the Hs and Ts, which responders actively look for and treat during resuscitation.

Sudden loss of brain function caused by interrupted blood flow or bleeding in the brain, recognised by facial droop, arm weakness, and speech disturbance, and requiring urgent transfer to a stroke centre.

A screening tool for stroke that checks Face droop, Arm weakness, Speech disturbance, and Time of onset, helping responders recognise a likely stroke and determine eligibility for time-dependent treatment.

Treatment that dissolves a blood clot blocking an artery, used in selected patients with ischaemic stroke or myocardial infarction within strict time windows and after appropriate assessment.

ST-elevation myocardial infarction: a heart attack pattern on the ECG indicating complete blockage of a coronary artery, which triggers urgent reperfusion pathways and direct transfer to a suitable centre.

A recording of the heart's electrical activity from twelve different viewpoints, used to identify rhythm disturbances, ischaemia, and infarction and to guide treatment and destination decisions.

Abnormally low blood glucose causing symptoms such as sweating, confusion, aggression, or reduced consciousness, treated with oral glucose when the patient can swallow or glucose given by another route when they cannot.

Testing a drop of capillary blood with a meter to obtain a glucose reading, used to confirm hypoglycaemia or hyperglycaemia and to reassess the patient after treatment.

A life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated response to infection, suggested by signs such as fever or low temperature, rapid breathing, altered mental state, and low blood pressure.

Sepsis with persistent low blood pressure and poor perfusion despite adequate fluid resuscitation, carrying high mortality and requiring urgent recognition, fluids, and rapid transport to hospital.

A track-and-trigger scoring system that combines routine observations such as respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, blood pressure, pulse, temperature, and consciousness to flag deteriorating patients.

The process of sorting patients by the urgency of their condition so that limited resources are directed to those who need them most, used at major incidents and in crowded emergency departments.

An event that generates casualties in numbers or with needs beyond the normal capacity of responding services, requiring declared command structures, mutual aid, and coordinated triage and transport.

A situation in which the number of injured people exceeds the immediately available resources, requiring responders to prioritise life-saving interventions and transport by clinical priority rather than arrival order.

A patient's voluntary agreement to examination or treatment, which must be informed and given by someone with capacity, or otherwise justified under law for adults lacking capacity or for children.

A person's ability to understand information relevant to a decision, retain it, weigh it up, and communicate a choice, assessed for the specific decision at the time it is made.

In law, intentionally or recklessly causing a person to apprehend immediate unlawful force, which in healthcare can arise when treatment is given without valid consent or other lawful authority.

The duty to keep patient information private and share it only with those who need it for care, or where disclosure is required or permitted by law, such as in certain public health situations.

The range of skills, assessments, and interventions a responder is trained, authorised, and competent to perform at their registration level, within local protocols and clinical governance.

Published, evidence-based recommendations that describe how to assess and treat specific conditions, forming the standard against which pre-hospital care decisions and audits are measured.

A locally agreed, step-by-step instruction for managing a defined clinical situation, including when to treat, what to give, and when to refer or transport, used alongside broader clinical guidelines.

The transfer of a specific task to another person who is competent to perform it, with the delegating clinician remaining accountable for the decision to delegate and for appropriate supervision.

A model in which paramedics provide assessment, treatment, referral, and follow-up outside the emergency response pathway, often for people with chronic conditions or frequent hospital attendance.

A documented, individualised plan agreed with a patient and their care team that sets out goals, treatments, and what to do in a crisis, used to guide community and unscheduled care decisions.

An agreed route by which a patient is directed to an appropriate service, such as a GP, injury unit, or specialist clinic, instead of being transported to an emergency department.

The conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age, such as housing, income, and education, which shape health outcomes and often underlie frequent emergency presentations.

The systematic testing of apparently well people to identify those at risk of a condition so that early advice or treatment can be offered, such as blood pressure or glucose checks in community settings.

The administration of supplemental oxygen, typically by mask or nasal cannula, to correct low blood oxygen levels, with the concentration and flow chosen to achieve a target saturation range.

A non-invasive method of estimating the percentage of haemoglobin carrying oxygen in arterial blood using a finger or ear probe, used to detect hypoxaemia and monitor response to treatment.