Ask first
Use OPQRST and SAMPLE to locate the complaint, clarify onset, identify associated symptoms, and learn about pregnancy possibility, surgery, medications, bleeding, vomiting, or bowel changes.
How → Why → Practice
Assess the abdomen systematically, recognize red flags, and document what you actually find.
Practice inspection, gentle palpation, symptom correlation, normal-versus-abnormal classification, transport priorities, and objective PCR wording.
0 of 3 lessons complete
Lesson 1
HOW: Perform an abdominal assessment
Expose only as needed, preserve dignity, observe before touching, and palpate gently. Follow your local scope and protocols.
Position and expose
Place the patient comfortably, usually supine with knees relaxed when tolerated. Expose only the area needed and maintain warmth and privacy.
Inspect
Look for distention, bruising, scars, pulsation, masses, wounds, seat-belt marks, guarding, or asymmetry before palpation.
Palpate gently
Use light, systematic palpation. Begin away from the painful area and assess all quadrants. Stop if the patient develops severe pain or the exam could worsen an injury.
Describe the finding
Document location and whether the abdomen is soft, tender, rigid, distended, guarded, or associated with a palpable pulsating mass or trauma finding.
Connect and reassess
Combine abdominal findings with vitals, skin, mental status, bleeding, pregnancy status, mechanism, and pain pattern. Reassess after movement and during transport.
Do not repeatedly provoke pain. Your goal is to identify concerning findings and trends—not to reproduce every possible bedside test.
Lesson 2
WHY: Understand abdominal red flags
Abdominal emergencies can deteriorate before a clear diagnosis is available. EMT care focuses on recognition, supportive care, appropriate transport, and reassessment.
Localized tenderness
Pain and tenderness limited to one area may suggest a focal process, but location alone does not establish a diagnosis.
Guarding and rigidity
Voluntary guarding may occur from pain or fear. Involuntary rigidity is more concerning and should increase transport priority.
Distention
Distention may occur with bleeding, obstruction, pregnancy, ascites, gas, or organ enlargement. Interpret it with the overall presentation.
Internal bleeding
Abdominal trauma, GI bleeding, ectopic pregnancy, and vascular emergencies may produce shock with little or no visible blood loss.
Pulsating mass
A pulsating abdominal mass with pain, syncope, or poor perfusion is a high-risk finding. Avoid repeated palpation and expedite transport.
Trend and context
Vitals, skin signs, mental status, mechanism, medications, age, pregnancy possibility, and repeat exams often matter more than one isolated finding.
Quick knowledge check
Which finding is most concerning?
Full scenario mode: complete this assessment for the active patient. Teaching sections and patient changes are locked until you leave the scenario.
Lesson 3
PRACTICE: Assess, classify, act, and document
Review the complaint, perform the assessment, classify the finding, identify the dominant concern, choose the immediate EMT priority, and document objectively.
Random patient
Assessment finding
0/4score
Coaching feedback
Example PCR documentation
Training content only. Follow your approved education, medical direction, and local protocols.