While transporting a patient in the ED, you receive another high-priority dispatch. What should you do first?

• A. Respond only after giving a verbal patient report to a nurse or physician.
• B. Place the patient in a high-visibility area and then respond.
• C. Leave a copy of the run form with a nurse and then respond.
• D. Inform the admissions clerk and then respond.

Answer: (A)

In this situation the priority is to ensure the current patient’s care is handed off clearly before you shift attention to another high-priority task. The best action is to give a verbal report to a nurse or physician about the patient’s status, so the ED team knows exactly where things stand and can continue appropriate care without delay.

A concise handoff should cover who the patient is, the presenting problem, current vital signs and any changes, treatments you’ve performed and the patient’s response, any allergies or meds, and any immediate needs or concerns. Once the staff has the information, you can proceed to the new dispatch with a clearer picture of the ED’s readiness and the patient’s ongoing needs.

Why the other options don’t fit: moving the patient to a visible area doesn’t guarantee timely or adequate handoff and could compromise care or privacy. Leaving a run form behind isn’t a real-time, formal clinical handoff, which can lead to missed details. Informing an admissions clerk isn’t the right channel for clinical updates needed to continue urgent patient care.