Which statement best describes the approach to the secondary assessment when life threats are present?

• A. The secondary assessment should focus on a certain area or region of the body as determined by the chief complaint.
• B. The secondary assessment should be performed en route to the hospital, regardless of severity.
• C. A secondary assessment should always be performed, even if you must continually manage life threats that were identified in the primary assessment.
• D. During the secondary assessment, the EMT's primary focus should be on taking vital signs and obtaining a SAMPLE history.

Answer: (C)

When life threats are present, the priority is to manage those threats first while still gathering information. The best approach is to perform a secondary assessment even as you continually address life-threatening issues identified in the primary assessment. This means you don’t stop the overall care to conduct a separate, full check, but you integrate a head-to-toe exam, vital signs, and a SAMPLE history into ongoing care and transport decisions. In other words, life-saving actions come first, and the secondary assessment is conducted in a way that doesn’t delay those actions, ensuring you uncover additional injuries or conditions without abandoning stabilization efforts.