You have received orders over the radio to give oxygen to a patient. This would be called:

• A. Standing orders
• B. On-line medical direction
• C. Off-line direction
• D. Protocol-based order

Answer: (B)

On-line medical direction is real-time guidance from a physician or medical director given during patient care, usually by radio or phone. Receiving an order to give oxygen over the radio means you’re following live instructions, which is exactly on-line direction.

Standing orders and protocol-based orders are preapproved actions you can initiate without contacting a physician (they’re pre-scripted guidelines). Off-line direction refers to using those preapproved protocols. So the live radio order doesn’t fit those; it’s on-line medical direction.