How to Conduct a Secondary Survey of an Injured Person

In a wilderness setting, the secondary survey provides crucial diagnostic information for an injured person.

Instructions

• 1

  Check the safety of the scene (see "How to Maximize the Safety of an Emergency Scene During First Aid").

• 2

  Conduct a primary survey (see "How to Conduct a Primary Survey of an Injured Person During First Aid").

• 3

  Take the injured person's vital signs and write them down (see "How to Measure and Record Vital Signs During First Aid").

• 4

  Conduct a head-to-toe exam (see "How to Conduct a Head-to-Toe Exam During First Aid").

• 5

  Take the person's medical history, assuming he or she is conscious (see "How to Take a Medical History During First Aid").

• 6

  Go through the "AEIOUTIPS" possibilities for an unconscious injured person (see "How to Diagnose an Unconscious Injured Person").

• 7

  Step back. Think carefully and consult with other trained rescuers before making a treatment and/or evacuation plan. Review your findings, rule out what is most unlikely, decide on a diagnosis and prioritize.

• 8

  Make a plan for treatment and/or evacuation, depending on your findings and careful assessment.

• 9

  Re-perform the secondary survey, or relevant parts of it, as demanded by changes in the injured person's condition.