the "end of bed assessment"
You can tell a lot about a casualty on approach, before you even make contact with them. In the world of Professional and Emergency Medicine, this can be known as your "End of Bed Assessment". Make a list of all the things you can think to observe on approach, before reading the rest of this article.
the patient assessment triangle
Colour - Position - appearance (adults)
Circulation - WOB - appearance (paediatrics)