A caller is reporting a fight in the school yard. One victim was hit in the head and is now unconscious. In Protocol 4, how many Key Questions are you asking?

• A. Two
• B. Three
• C. Five
• D. Four

Answer: (D)

When a caller reports an unconscious head-injured victim, Protocol 4 uses four Key Questions to quickly size up the situation and guide actions. Those four questions are designed to rapidly determine the most important factors: whether the patient is responsive, whether they are breathing normally, whether there are any life-threatening threats (like severe bleeding or airway problems), and whether the scene is safe or poses additional hazards or victims. Answering these four questions right away lets you decide the immediate steps to take, such as providing airway or breathing instructions, initiating CPR if needed, and dispatching appropriate help. Four is the number defined for Protocol 4’s Key Questions, which is why this option is the best choice in this scenario.