Primary Assessment

Begin your treatment and primary assessment by talking to the victim. If there is more than one victim, use the Triage sections below for assessment and assisting. Evaluate for confusion or unresponsiveness.  If the victim has been unconscious for any length of time, immobilize the head and neck, and activate EMS immediately.  Perform a head-to-toe evaluation.  Look for signs of trauma, bleeding, deformity, embedded or impaling objects, discoloration, or anything that might be of concern.  Be sure to locate any concealed injuries that may be more life threatening than the obvious injuries that you located at first.  To determine if an individual may have a potential fracture, simply ask them if they can move the area without causing pain.  If they are unable to move the area, or if it causes them significant pain, do not allow them to move it, and treat it as if known to be a fracture.



In order to prioritize your treatment, you should be constantly aware of the most life threatening situations.  This becomes even more important when you are dealing with an unconscious patient who cannot relate information to you. It may be necessary to ask yourself several important questions:

Life Threatening Priorities

1. Is there breathing?

2. Is there a pulse?

3. Is there severe bleeding?

4. Is there severe shock?

These items must be dealt with in order of their severity.  For example, although any of these situations could cause a fatality, severe bleeding should not be addressed until steps 1 and 2, breathing and heartbeat, have been remedied, as these are a more immediate threat to life.