When you remove all clothing, you are also performing what?

• A. Inspect for obvious abnormalities or injuries
• B. Apply a tourniquet
• C. Check for blood pressure
• D. Administer analgesia

Answer: (A)

Exposing the patient to perform a thorough visual and tactile inspection is essential. When you remove all clothing, you gain access to the skin, chest, abdomen, back, and limbs to look for obvious injuries, active bleeding, deformities, burns, or other signs of trauma that might not be visible without exposure. This step is part of the exposure phase in the primary survey and directly informs immediate interventions. It’s not about applying a tourniquet, checking blood pressure, or administering analgesia, which are separate actions in the resuscitation sequence. If you remove clothing, you should maintain privacy and warmth, protect the spine if indicated, and cover the patient again after the assessment.