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Referencing the content of EMT-Basic training and emergency patient care

EMT Basic · Chapter 9

The Team Approach to Health Care

Learning objectives (9)

  1. Describe decision traps that can lead to decision-making errors — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 319); confirm wording in your course copy.
  2. Describe the steps EMTs can take to troubleshoot interpersonal conflicts — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 319); confirm wording in your course copy.
  3. Explain how crew resource management (CRM) can be useful in the prehospital environment — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 319); confirm wording in your course copy.
  4. Explain the advantages of a team over a group; include the advantages of regularly training and practicing together — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 319); confirm wording in your course copy.
  5. Explain the stages of effective decision making — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 319); confirm wording in your course copy.
  6. List the five critical elements necessary to ensure effective transfer of patient care from one provider to another — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 319); confirm wording in your course copy.
  7. List the five essential elements of a group — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 319); confirm wording in your course copy.
  8. List the five essential elements of a team — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 319); confirm wording in your course copy.
  9. List the five steps a receiving health care provider should perform when taking a patient care report (PCR) — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 319); confirm wording in your course copy.

Vocabulary (10)

Closed-loop communication
A communication pattern in which the receiver repeats the message back so the sender can confirm it was understood correctly.
Crew Resource Management (CRM)
A set of team-coordination principles — originating in aviation — that emphasize communication, situational awareness, and assertiveness to reduce errors.
SBAR
A structured handoff mnemonic — Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation — used to communicate patient status between providers.
Handoff (handover)
The structured transfer of patient information and responsibility from one provider or team to another.
Span of control
The number of subordinates or resources that one supervisor can effectively manage — typically 3 to 7 in EMS incident operations.
Chain of command
The formal line of authority — who reports to whom — that defines decision-making structure within an EMS agency or incident.
Speaking-up culture
A team environment in which any member feels safe to raise concerns about safety or care without fear of retribution.
Interdisciplinary team
A group of providers from different specialties — paramedics, nurses, physicians, social workers — working together on patient care.
Quality improvement (QI)
A systematic process of reviewing performance data and making changes to improve patient outcomes and safety.
Active listening
Communication technique in which the listener focuses fully, reflects content, and clarifies meaning rather than preparing a response.

Sequence practice (2 puzzles on Quiz Me)

SBAR patient handoff

Order the four sections of an SBAR handoff to the receiving team.

  1. S — Situation (who, where, why now)
  2. B — Background (relevant history, medications, allergies)
  3. A — Assessment (vitals, findings, working impression)
  4. R — Recommendation (what you've done, what's needed next)
Closed-loop communication cycle

Order the steps that close a single communication loop.

  1. Sender speaks the message
  2. Receiver acknowledges and repeats it back
  3. Sender confirms the readback is correct (or corrects it)

Quick fire sample (10 of 10 on Quiz Me)

A communication pattern in which the receiver repeats the message back so the sender can confirm it was understood correctly.
  1. Speaking-up culture
  2. Closed-loop communication
  3. Handoff (handover)
  4. Interdisciplinary team
A set of team-coordination principles — originating in aviation — that emphasize communication, situational awareness, and assertiveness to reduce errors.
  1. Crew Resource Management (CRM)
  2. Speaking-up culture
  3. Active listening
  4. Handoff (handover)
A structured handoff mnemonic — Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation — used to communicate patient status between providers.
  1. Quality improvement (QI)
  2. Chain of command
  3. SBAR
  4. Handoff (handover)
The structured transfer of patient information and responsibility from one provider or team to another.
  1. Active listening
  2. SBAR
  3. Crew Resource Management (CRM)
  4. Handoff (handover)
The number of subordinates or resources that one supervisor can effectively manage — typically 3 to 7 in EMS incident operations.
  1. Span of control
  2. Active listening
  3. SBAR
  4. Crew Resource Management (CRM)
The formal line of authority — who reports to whom — that defines decision-making structure within an EMS agency or incident.
  1. Span of control
  2. Chain of command
  3. Interdisciplinary team
  4. Active listening
A team environment in which any member feels safe to raise concerns about safety or care without fear of retribution.
  1. Interdisciplinary team
  2. Span of control
  3. Speaking-up culture
  4. Quality improvement (QI)
A group of providers from different specialties — paramedics, nurses, physicians, social workers — working together on patient care.
  1. Quality improvement (QI)
  2. Chain of command
  3. Speaking-up culture
  4. Interdisciplinary team
A systematic process of reviewing performance data and making changes to improve patient outcomes and safety.
  1. Quality improvement (QI)
  2. Active listening
  3. Speaking-up culture
  4. Crew Resource Management (CRM)
Communication technique in which the listener focuses fully, reflects content, and clarifies meaning rather than preparing a response.
  1. Active listening
  2. Chain of command
  3. Speaking-up culture
  4. Quality improvement (QI)

Some topics in this course differ across field references. See when sources disagree on Quiz Me before you teach from this sheet alone.

Full scored drills are on Quiz Me at /courses/nm-emt-b/chapters/09/print/. Answers are not marked on this sheet.