You have been called for a deeply disturbed psychiatric patient who has cut off the tip of his penis with a steak knife. Assessment reveals the 31-year-old male to be crying, with blood noted to his hands and pants. The primary assessment reveals no life threats and Emergency Medical Responders are applying oxygen to the patient. At this time, your priority is to:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The priority in this situation is to control the bleeding to prevent further harm to the patient. Once the bleeding is controlled, the amputated penis can be stored in sterile water for possible reattachment if appropriate. Preventing the patient from urinating may be important in the long term, but it is not a priority in the immediate situation. Determining why the patient cut himself is important, but it can wait until the patient's physical needs are addressed.

You Have Been Called for a Deeply Disturbed Psychiatric Patient