Basic Life Support (BLS) Practice Exam

During a resuscitation, you recognize that a task has been overlooked. What is the most appropriate action?

1. Ignore the oversight and focus on your tasks.

2. Alert the team leader immediately and identify what task has been overlooked.

3. Discuss the issue with other team members before approaching the team leader.

4. Wait until the resuscitation is over to address the oversight.

The correct answer is: Alert the team leader immediately and identify what task has been overlooked.

In a resuscitation scenario, effective teamwork and communication are critical to ensuring a successful outcome. When a task has been overlooked, the most appropriate action is to alert the team leader immediately and identify the specific task that was missed. This approach promotes rapid identification and resolution of the oversight, allowing the team to adjust their actions and potentially improve the chances of a positive outcome for the patient. By notifying the team leader, you are facilitating efficient communication within the team, ensuring that everyone is aware of the situation and can contribute to rectifying the mistake. This urgency in addressing the oversight is particularly important in life-threatening situations, where every second counts. Immediate communication ensures that the entire team can coordinate effectively, reassess their roles, and make necessary adjustments to the resuscitation efforts. In contrast, ignoring the oversight may lead to further complications and jeopardize the patient’s safety. Discussing the issue with other team members before approaching the team leader could cause delays, and waiting until the resuscitation is over to address the oversight would be too late to make any impactful changes. Therefore, promptly alerting the team leader is essential for maintaining the integrity of the resuscitation process.