The secondary assessment/survey is done once the primary survey is completed and non-life threatening injuries can be assessed. It can be after removing the athlete from the field. When performing this type of assessment it is vital for the clinician to gain as much information as possible in order to properly diagnose the injured person. This assessment involves many different things and can be done in steps. Clinician should be sure to get a thorough history on the individual, a thorough description of what the person felt, feels, how they were injured, what hurts the most, where hurts the most, etc. Clinician should also be able to determine if the individual has appropriate function of the injured area or if they are in need of EMS.
The secondary assessment is truly the meat and potatoes once the oven has been preheated and everything is ready to go. This is where the clinician goes through step by step of a SOAP note or HOPS to figure out what happened. This can include but is not limited to inspection, bony and soft tissue palpation, ROM, special tests, circulation, and neurological. Secondary assessments are used in order to determine the injury, how the injury occurred, how severe the injury is, and to eliminate further injury.
HES 154 First Aid Manual 