Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) Practice Exam

What is the recommended approach to assess a patient's responsiveness?

1. Shake the patient's shoulders

2. Ask the patient to squeeze your hand

3. Check for breathing

4. Lightly shout their name

The correct answer is: Shake the patient's shoulders

The recommended approach to assess a patient's responsiveness typically involves physical stimulation to elicit a reaction. Shaking the patient's shoulders is a direct method that provides a tactile stimulus, making it effective in gauging alertness and response. This method is often used in emergency situations as it can prompt the patient to respond physically or verbally, indicating their state of consciousness. In the context of the other options, asking a patient to squeeze your hand is usually reserved for situations where the patient is already responsive enough to follow commands. Checking for breathing is a vital step in assessing the overall condition after responsiveness is determined but does not directly evaluate consciousness. Lightly shouting the patient's name serves as a verbal stimulus and can sometimes be effective, but it may not provide the same immediate, direct feedback regarding responsiveness as physically shaking the patient's shoulders does. Thus, shaking the patient's shoulders is a primary approach that aligns with standard protocols in emergency assessment.