What should you encourage when you arrive at a call involving a patient who is choking and coughing?

Encouraging coughing in a patient who is choking and can still cough is the appropriate response because coughing is the body's natural mechanism for expelling an obstruction from the airway. When a patient is able to cough effectively, it indicates that the airway is not completely blocked and that the patient retains some ability to breathe. This can help push the obstruction out with the force of the cough.

By allowing the patient to continue coughing, you give them the opportunity to clear the object without needing to intervene with more invasive procedures. Using the Heimlich maneuver or administering back blows is advisable for patients who cannot cough, breathe, or speak, indicating a more severe obstruction. Meanwhile, inspecting the airway at this stage may not provide any benefit since the focus should be on letting the patient utilize their natural defenses. Therefore, encouraging coughing is a safe and effective response when a patient is still able to do so.