FIRE - EMS news
Welcome to the Asbestos & Mesothelioma Center
The Asbestos & Mesothelioma Center is committed to providing the latest, up-to-date information to our visitors in hopes of spreading awareness about the real and eminent dangers of asbestos. This month, we are campaigning to educate the community on how to identify asbestos within the home and workplace. This naturally occurring mineral has been widely used in construction throughout the last century for its heat and fire-resistant qualities. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, most structures built before and even throughout the 1980s contain
asbestos in some shape or form.
Refusal of medical assistance:
Do you enjoy your current home, and want to keep it?
This is a reprint from the issue October 2007 of emsresponder.com
RMA's (refusal of medical Assistance) are among the most time consuming, labor intensive calls in EMS. It is tempting for caregivers in a busy system to take shortcuts when encountering patients who do not wish to be transported. Bad Idea, Unless you are intrigued by your states legal system. The three most important steps in processing an RMA, document, document, document.
Documentation is important in all areas of EMS, but never more so than when you are advocating a pre-hospital course of action that contradicts the patients preference.
Two RMA scenarios to be avoided are allowing a patient to refuse transport without assuring documentation of his awareness of risks and altenatives: and enforcing transport against the patients will, in spite of his acknowledgement of risks and alternatives. The former can lead to charges of abandonement, while the latter could be construed as false imprisonment.
According to a 1998 study, it is wise to involve a physician in the RMA process, not only because of his/her superior assessment skills, but also because it is more likely that a doctor will succeed in convincing a patient patient to seek definitive care. Many EMS systems make RMAs cooperative venture between field personnel and physicians. Prehospital providers contact medical control if they are unable to convince sick or injured patients to allow transport by ambulance.
There are medical consequences to sloppy RMAs, too. A 2002 study revealed that 32% of patients age 65 and older who refused transport were subsequently admitted to a hospital for the same or a related complaint. It makes sense to consider high-risk factors, such as age and medical history, in addition to the patients presentation when confronted with an RMA.
*reprinted from October 2007 EMS magazine
Protocall changes for paramedics are coming regarding CHF patients and CPAP machines. Paramedics will use the machines to positive pressurize the CHF patients lungs forcing the fluids out ward. Thereby, creating an environment for air flow for the patient. http://www.emsmagazine.com/