Which statement about an emergency patient move is correct?

• A. The spine must be fully immobilized prior to performing an emergency move.
• B. It is not possible to perform an emergency move without injuring the patient.
• C. If there are no hazards, the patient can be moved in an emergency move prior to assessment.
• D. An emergency move is performed before the primary assessment and treatment.

Answer: (D)

An emergency move is used when there is immediate danger to the patient or rescuers, so the priority is to move the patient to safety as quickly as possible before completing a full primary assessment or starting treatment. After the patient is moved to a safe location, you then perform a rapid primary assessment and begin any necessary care. This is why the correct statement says the emergency move is done before the primary assessment and treatment.

The other ideas don’t fit because fully immobilizing the spine before moving would waste precious time in a hazardous situation, and while injuries can occur in any move, an emergency move can be done safely when necessary. Also, an emergency move is specifically for hazardous conditions—if there are no hazards, there’s no need to perform an emergency move.