How would you classify a casualty's level of consciousness if they react to pain when their sternum is briskly rubbed, but do not respond to loud questions?

How would you classify a casualty's level of consciousness if they react to pain when their sternum is briskly rubbed, but do not respond to loud questions?

• A. Alert
• B. Verbal responsive
• C. Pain responsive
• D. Unresponsive

Answer: (C)

The classification of a casualty's level of consciousness is based on their response to external stimuli. In this case, the casualty does not respond to loud questions but does react to pain when their sternum is briskly rubbed. This aligns with the "pain responsive" classification, as it indicates that the casualty demonstrates some level of awareness or functioning by responding to a painful stimulus, even if they do not react to verbal commands or sounds. An alert individual would be fully awake and responsive to their environment. A verbal responsive classification would indicate that the casualty responds to verbal stimuli, which does not apply here as the casualty fails to react to loud questions. Unresponsive means there is no reaction to verbal, pain, or any stimuli, which also does not fit the scenario described. Therefore, pain responsive is the most accurate classification in this instance, as it reflects the casualty’s ability to react to a painful stimulus while still lacking the ability to respond to verbal cues.

The classification of a casualty's level of consciousness is based on their response to external stimuli. In this case, the casualty does not respond to loud questions but does react to pain when their sternum is briskly rubbed. This aligns with the "pain responsive" classification, as it indicates that the casualty demonstrates some level of awareness or functioning by responding to a painful stimulus, even if they do not react to verbal commands or sounds.

An alert individual would be fully awake and responsive to their environment. A verbal responsive classification would indicate that the casualty responds to verbal stimuli, which does not apply here as the casualty fails to react to loud questions. Unresponsive means there is no reaction to verbal, pain, or any stimuli, which also does not fit the scenario described. Therefore, pain responsive is the most accurate classification in this instance, as it reflects the casualty’s ability to react to a painful stimulus while still lacking the ability to respond to verbal cues.