EMT Basic · Chapter 24 · Review · Chapter track
Gynecologic Emergencies
Referencing the content of EMT-Basic training and emergency patient care
Learning objectives (9)
Describe the anatomy and physiology of the female reproductive system; include the developmental changes that occur during puberty and menopause — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 881); confirm wording in your course copy.
Discuss the assessment and management of a patient who has been sexually assaulted or raped; include the additional steps EMTs must take on behalf of the patient — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 881); confirm wording in your course copy.
Discuss the assessment and management of a patient who is experiencing a gynecologic emergency; include a discussion of specific assessment findings — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 881); confirm wording in your course copy.
Discuss the special considerations and precautions EMTs must observe when arriving at the scene of a suspected case of sexual assault or rape — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 881); confirm wording in your course copy.
Discuss the special, age-related patient management considerations EMTs should provide for both younger and older female patients who are experiencing gynecologic emergencies — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 881); confirm wording in your course copy.
Explain how an EMT would recognize conditions associated with hemorrhage during pregnancy — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 881); confirm wording in your course copy.
Explain the general management of a patient who is experiencing a gynecologic emergency in relation to privacy and communication — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 881); confirm wording in your course copy.
Give examples of the personal protective equipment EMTs should use when treating patients with gynecologic emergencies — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 881); confirm wording in your course copy.
List common examples of gynecologic emergencies; include the causes, risk factors, assessment findings, and patient management considerations — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 881); confirm wording in your course copy.
Chapter web resources
Optional reading from authoritative sites. Your textbook remains the primary source for this course.
- MedlinePlus pregnancy emergencies · NIH
OB/GYN complaint overview
When sources disagree (5 topics to verify before you teach from this chapter alone)
Showing Chapter track material. Switch tracks on the chapter page.
Vocabulary · 10
Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
An infection of the upper female reproductive tract — uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries — usually from untreated sexually transmitted infection.
SourceCDC — Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
Ectopic pregnancy
A pregnancy implanted outside the uterus, most often in a fallopian tube; rupture causes life-threatening internal bleeding.
SourceAmerican College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) — Ectopic pregnancy
Vaginal bleeding (abnormal)
Bleeding from the vagina that is not part of a normal menstrual period; can result from many causes including pregnancy complications and trauma.
SourceNIH MedlinePlus — Vaginal bleeding
Sexual assault
Any non-consensual sexual contact; a forensic and medical emergency requiring sensitive, structured EMS response.
SourceUS Department of Justice — Office on Violence Against Women — Sexual assault
Forensic evidence preservation
Steps that protect physical evidence — avoiding washing, discouraging changing clothes, transporting to a SANE-capable facility.
SourceInternational Association of Forensic Nurses — Forensic evidence collection
Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE)
A specially trained nurse who provides comprehensive forensic and medical care to sexual-assault patients.
SourceInternational Association of Forensic Nurses — SANE programs
Mittelschmerz
Mid-cycle, one-sided lower-abdominal pain associated with ovulation.
SourceMerriam-Webster Medical Dictionary — Mittelschmerz
Dysmenorrhea
Painful menstrual cramps caused by uterine contractions during menses.
SourceAmerican College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) — Dysmenorrhea
Ovarian torsion
A surgical emergency in which an ovary twists on its blood supply, causing sudden severe one-sided lower abdominal pain.
SourceAmerican College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) — Ovarian torsion
Endometritis
Inflammation or infection of the uterine lining, often postpartum.
SourceNIH MedlinePlus — Endometritis
Sequences · 2
- EMT priorities in a sexual assault response — Order EMT priorities for an alleged sexual assault patient.
- Lower-abdominal pain in a person of childbearing age — EMT priorities — Order the EMT's considerations when evaluating lower abdominal pain in a person who could be pregnant.