Trauma assessment is the relatively straight-forward process of exposing the patient and finding the injuries but is wrought with pitfalls that can prove to be detrimental to the patient. A common pitfall is that EMS providers often go for, and focus on the injuries that look the worst, instead of looking for and treating the most severe and life-threatening injury first. This often causes an EMT or paramedic to miss life-threatening occult internal bleeding and more severe external bleeding from sources with a less apparent presentation. For example, a patient can easily die from an unrecognized tension pneumothorax if a prehospital provider wastes time with a less urgent injury, such as a deep laceration with no large vessel involvement.
The patient assessment must be thorough, complete, and systematic. Patients are often found lying on the wound or injury that is producing the most bleeding.[1] It is imperative to roll the patient over early and assess the patient's back for life-threatening bleeding. It is also crucial to remove clothing early and attempt to visualize the injuries to accurately assess the severity of the injury.
Note: It's also important to ensure the patient remains warm, despite exposure.
