Which of the following is an element of the primary assessment?

The primary assessment in emergency medical services is a critical process aimed at quickly determining the nature and severity of a patient's condition. A key element of this assessment is checking for vital signs, which includes measuring factors such as respiratory rate, heart rate, and blood pressure. These vital signs provide essential information about the patient's physiological state and help responders identify any immediate life threats that need to be addressed.

In the context of emergency care, the primary assessment prioritizes rapid evaluation to ensure that life-threatening conditions are identified and treated without delay. Checking vital signs is integral to this process because it allows the EMS provider to establish a baseline of the patient’s condition and track any changes over time, which is particularly important in emergent situations.

The other options—taking the patient's medical history, performing CPR, and gathering equipment for treatment—do play important roles in patient care but are not part of the initial primary assessment stage. Taking a medical history is usually done after the primary assessment, performing CPR is a specific intervention rather than an assessment technique, and gathering equipment is typically done in preparation for treatment rather than as part of evaluating the patient’s current condition.