Patient Care, First Aid and Emergency Management
Patient Care, First Aid and Emergency Management
This domain tests safe patient handling, communication, vital signs and immediate response to emergencies in the imaging department. Expect anaphylaxis, syncope, CPR and infection control.
Core rules
- Identify patients with two identifiers; confirm consent, pregnancy status and allergy history.
- Monitor vital signs: pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation and temperature.
- Position patients safely, protect dignity, and use immobilisation only when necessary.
- Anaphylaxis: stop the trigger, call for help, assess ABC, give intramuscular adrenaline as prescribed, oxygen and IV fluids; monitor.
- Cardiac arrest: check response, call for help, open the airway, give compressions at 100–120/min, depth 5–6 cm, and use an AED.
- Use standard precautions: hand hygiene, gloves, sharps safety and correct waste segregation.
Worked example
A patient becomes breathless and hypotensive minutes after contrast injection. Stop the injection, call the emergency team, position supine with legs raised if tolerated, give oxygen, and administer IM adrenaline per protocol. The reasoning is that this is anaphylaxis, not a faint; adrenaline is first-line and delay worsens outcome.
Traps
- Leaving a collapsed patient alone to fetch help.
- Giving oral fluids to an unconscious patient.
- Treating all collapse as a simple faint.
- Delaying emergency activation while searching for a doctor.