Check for consciousness
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Check for consciousness
To check another person for consciousness, tap or gently shake him or her and shout, "Are you okay?"
A person who faints (syncope) usually regains consciousness within 2 minutes. After fainting, a person usually is not confused. After a seizure or a head injury, a person who has been unconscious usually is confused.
If a person has fainted, emergency care usually is not needed. However, it is important to evaluate the person for other symptoms that may need medical attention and injuries that may have occurred if the person fell when he or she fainted.
Credits
| Author | Jan Nissl, RN, BS |
| Editor | Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA |
| Associate Editor | Denele Ivins |
| Associate Editor | Tracy Landauer |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine |
| Specialist Medical Reviewer | Colin Chalk, MD, CM, FRCPC - Neurology |
| Last Updated | February 27, 2007 |
| Last updated: | February 27, 2007 |
|---|---|
| Author: | Jan Nissl, RN, BS |
| Reviewed By: | William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine, Colin Chalk, MD, CM, FRCPC - Neurology |
| Editors: | Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Tracy Landauer |
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