ChartFlow Team
When reading a book about how to respond to various medical emergencies, it’s easy to say, “yea, I understand that.” But what happens when you get out in the field? Will you remember what to do when you come across a panicked child who is having an allergic reaction or a teenager who is struggling to use their asthma medication for the first time?
Practicing on fake patients (or willing friends) is a great way to bridge that gap, but there’s not always time in class to do enough simulation to really make you comfortable. Because of that, we’ve created a way to practice patient scenarios at home with ChartFlow.io.
We include a scenario below that you can imagine, or have a friend act out, and then you log into ChartFlow.io for free. Chart the patient encounter exactly as you would in a real life Run Report (or a piece of paper if you’re a general first responder without access to electronic charting) and focus on the "Patient Complaint and History" and the "Procedures and Interventions" sections.
After you’ve recorded any interventions or medications you’d give in this scenario, make sure you record expected reactions or changes in vital signs. At the bottom of this post, you’ll find answers to the scenario.
Here’s how to access our free patient scenarios in ChartFlow:
- Go to ChartFlow.io
- Click to create a “New Student Account”
- Enter Access Code: 77c3c26294
Make sure to enter the Access Code on the first page when you create an Account. If you miss this step, you’ll need to contact CharFlow’s Support.
Once you’ve created your account, you should see the following screen with activities available.
Scenario 1
Scene:
You arrive at a small alleyway behind an office building. It’s well lit, during the daytime in summer, and you can see to the end of the road. There is one caucasian man who appears to be middle aged laying prone at the front of the alley, and the office worker who called you is standing nearby.
No other people are visible and there are no environmental hazards that you see. The office worker explains. “I just came back from my lunch break and saw this guy’s feet sticking out from behind the building. He appears to be breathing.. kind of. But I’m all alone so I didn’t want to go closer or touch him. I have no idea who he is or what happened, but one of the security guards in the building said he saw some guys doing drugs a few weeks ago back here. Anyways, I called 911 so you can figure it out.”
The patient is wearing unwashed clothing and his hair is unbrushed. You cannot tell if he’s breathing. As you approach and loudly ask if he can hear you, there is no response or movement.
Patient findings:
BP 90/60
Pulse: 57 BPM
Oxygen stats: 89% on room air
Respiratory rate: Breathing is shallow and irregular, you count 9 breathes in a minute
Circulation: Skin is pale and slightly cool to the touch
Eyes: Pupils are constricted and do not respond to light
LOC and orientation: Upon sternal rub there is no eye movement, no vocal response, no body movement
Head-to-toe: No injuries or wounds visible. Medication patch found on upper arm, but no identifiers are on the patch.
Simulation solution below. Do not read until the activity is complete.
Scenario Solution
This is an opioid overdose. The patch on the patient’s arm is likely fentanyl and the irregular respiratory rate combined with pinpoint pupils point to opioid use. Naloxone/Narcan should be administered either intranasally with 1 mg/nare or using an autoinjector.
If you’re an EMS instructor, contact us sales@chartflow.io for information about our extremely affordable Run Report that you can use to create additional patient scenarios and grade the ones we already have *
-The ChartFlow Team
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