Emergency response: Approaching the patient

This is the first in a series of articles on what to do when you encounter an injured person and you want to help them.

When you encounter a patient, do the following:

1. Introduce yourself.  Hi, my name is X and I am part of the Emergency Response Team. 
2. Get consent for your help. 
3. Ask what the chief complaint is. 
4. Ask the A and O questions. This is to to assess how reliable their other answers are
   
   • Name
   • Place
   • Time of Day
   • Event
5. Get their medical history.
6. Check for vital signs. 

For the next article in this series, see Asking the Patient.