When are V/S, glucose checks, ECG, etc., performed during trauma assessment?

• A. During rapid assessment en-route to the hospital
• B. During primary assessment
• C. In the secondary assessment
• D. Never performed in the field

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that these monitoring tasks belong to ongoing assessment as the patient is moved to definitive care. Checking vital signs, glucose, and cardiac rhythm in the rapid assessment while en route to the hospital allows you to continuously monitor the patient’s status and catch any deterioration early. Doing it during transport ensures you don’t delay life-saving actions on scene, and you can adjust treatment (supporting airway and breathing, controlling bleeding, guiding fluids, etc.) based on real-time data. It also facilitates a clear handoff to the receiving facility with up-to-date information. Waiting to perform these checks later, or never doing them in the field, would miss important changes and isn’t consistent with how trauma care is managed in the field.