EMS Care EMT Chapter 24-MCIT-F3-2130 | Patients with Special Needs  starts with an introduction to this important topic.  As an EMT you will encounter patients with different Medical, physical, and mental health needs. This course discussed the effective assessment, treatment and transport of these patients.

The lessons covered are

• Lesson 1: Patients with Special Healthcare Needs
• Lesson 2: Bariatric Patients
• Lesson 3: Patients with Mental Health Emergencies
• Lesson 4: Caring for High-Risk Populations
• Lesson 5: Special Considerations in Patient Care

Excerpt from EMS Care EMT Chapter 24-MCIT-F3-2130 | Patients with Special Needs 

Patients with special healthcare needs often have chronic illnesses or disabilities that can impact their assessment and treatment. Some common examples of chronic illnesses include diabetes, heart disease, and asthma. Understand and get general knowledge of these chronic illnesses and their underlying causes along with symptoms to better understand what maybe baseline for the patient vs an exacerbation.  

Patients can have an emergency pertaining to these illnesses or have another emergency that can be made worse by these underlying chronic illnesses. For example, if you respond to a patient with smoke inhalation. While the emergency at hand is the smoke inhalation, their underlying illness of asthma will have an important and prominent impact on their presentation and the care that will need to be delivered.  Disabilities can include mobility impairments, sensory impairments, and cognitive impairments. As EMTs, it’s crucial to understand how these conditions can affect our approach to patient care.