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Understanding the Steps of the Primary Assessment Video
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Video at a Glance
The primary assessment helps the provider determine whether immediate intervention is required. The best way to remember the steps of this assessment is to refer to the acronym ABCDE:
- Airway establishment and intervention
- Breathing adequacy, including the rate
- Circulation, including pulses and waveform capnography
- Disability or the mental status of the patient using the AVPU scale
- Exposure of the patient so you can form a better assessment
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