How to assess mechanism of injury
Other platforms explain it with text and video. In Making Synapses you practice it on the patient.
The mechanism tells you which injuries to look for.
Step by step
Vehicle crash
Speed, intrusion, rollover, ejection, death in the same vehicle, restraints, airbags. [1]
Falls
Height and landing surface. [1]
Pedestrian or cyclist
Struck at speed. [1]
Penetrating
Weapon, number of wounds, entry and exit. [1]
Suspicion
High-energy mechanism: look for hidden injuries. [1]
Triage
Use field triage criteria for trauma center destination. [2]
Common errors
- Ignoring mechanism in a patient who looks well.
- Not noting seatbelt use.
- Missing exit wounds.
Practice it in Making Synapses
In Making Synapses you do this on the patient, not on paper: every step goes on the checklist with a score, and in Teach mode Blocky tells you what comes next.
Making Synapses cases that train this skill
- Fall risk at home, older adult
- Parkinson disease, home safety
- Intimate partner violence in pregnancy
- Neonatal jaundice
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Bleeding after prostatectomy
41 Making Synapses cases train this skill: open the case library
Sources
Facts and steps follow NREMT psychomotor skill sheets (EMT and Paramedic); National EMS Education Standards (2021). Making Synapses is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.