Part of the Pediatrics, Geriatrics, and Special Populations practice questions exam area.
This page holds 200 free practice questions for Chapter 45, Geriatric Emergencies, covering the physiologic changes of aging, the GEMS diamond and atypical presentations, polypharmacy and the Beers criteria, silent MI, heart failure, pneumonia, stroke, syncope, and delirium, sepsis, UTI, HHS, and heat and cold emergencies, falls and geriatric trauma triage, elder abuse and neglect, and advance directives, hospice, long-term care, and transitions of care. They are written for paramedic and EMT students working through Nancy Caroline's Emergency Care in the Streets, 9th edition. Every question shows the correct answer with a short explanation as soon as you tap, so you learn while you test rather than waiting until the end.
Study it two ways: the 10 Question Blitz, a quick round where every right answer lights a siren and any misses lead into Lights & Sirens, a 5-in-a-row drill on that section, or the full 100-question test drawn at random from the whole chapter. After each test you get a score and a section-by-section breakdown. Progress on the full test is saved on your device, so you can stop and pick up later.
A new EMT assumes most of her older patients come from nursing homes. In fact, the share of US adults 65 and older living in nursing homes is about:
Answer: A. About 1 in 50
Only about 2 percent of adults 65 and older live in nursing homes (about 1 percent at 65 to 74, rising to about 8 percent at 85 and older); the great majority live in the community, many alone, so most geriatric calls come from private homes where the paramedic is the first to see the home environment. One in 3 and 1 in 2 reflect the ageist assumption that older adults are mostly institutionalized. One in 10 overstates the overall rate fivefold; it is closer to the figure for the oldest old. (ACL Profile of Older Americans.)
The four elements of the GEMS diamond are:
Answer: A. Geriatric, environmental, medical, and social
GEMS stands for Geriatric, Environmental, Medical, and Social assessment, a reminder to look beyond the chief complaint. Medication review and support networks fall within the medical and social parts rather than being separate letters.
Polypharmacy is commonly defined as the regular use of:
Answer: B. Five or more medications
Polypharmacy usually means five or more medications, which sharply raises the risk of interactions and adverse events. Taking two drugs is common and is not, by itself, polypharmacy.
Most students use the 10 Question Blitz for daily practice and take the full 100-question test in the days before a class exam or NREMT practice. Lights & Sirens after a blitz is the fastest way to close gaps the night before a test.
Every question in this chapter is also listed by section, with answers, on the topic pages above. See all paramedic topics or take the NREMT paramedic practice test.
Ch. 1 Ch. 2 Ch. 3 Ch. 4 Ch. 5 Ch. 6 Ch. 7 Ch. 8 Ch. 9 Ch. 10 Ch. 11 Ch. 12 Ch. 13 Ch. 14 Ch. 15 Ch. 16 Ch. 17 Ch. 18 Ch. 19 Ch. 20 Ch. 21 Ch. 22 Ch. 23 Ch. 24 Ch. 25 Ch. 26 Ch. 27 Ch. 28 Ch. 29 Ch. 30 Ch. 31 Ch. 32 Ch. 33 Ch. 34 Ch. 35 Ch. 36 Ch. 37 Ch. 38 Ch. 39 Ch. 40 Ch. 41 Ch. 42 Ch. 43 Ch. 44 Ch. 45 Ch. 46 Ch. 47 Ch. 48 Ch. 49 Ch. 50 Ch. 51 Ch. 52 Ch. 53
These practice questions were written for this site. They are not the publisher's test bank and are not affiliated with or endorsed by Jones & Bartlett Learning, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, or the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians. Use them alongside your textbook and your instructor's objectives.