You are dispatched for a patient with chest pain.Your patient tells you that she has had shortness of breath and chest pain for about 20 minutes.Which of the following will give you the best information regarding your patient's chest pain symptoms?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Asking the patient to describe how the pain feels will provide the most comprehensive information regarding the nature and severity of the chest pain. This will help the EMS provider to rule out other causes of chest discomfort (such as gastrointestinal or musculoskeletal) and determine the likelihood of a cardiac event. Option A only asks about the quality of pain, while option C and D are not directly related to the patient's current symptoms.

You Are Dispatched for a Patient with Chest Pain