Guest guest Posted January 2, 2001 Report Share Posted January 2, 2001 Riddle me this, sportsfans. How will the new rules about pain management affect relief of pain in the prehospital arena, where it has traditionally been undermanaged, if not totally ignored. Since the tools exist for us to manage most pain emergency patients experience safely out-of-hospital, and since the old saw about masking symptoms and bolluxing up a diagnosis later is mostly just smoke, is it possible that medical directors who don't provide reasonable pain-management protocols and guidelines to their EMS services may be exposed to legal risk? Is it possible that EMS services that refuse to invest in safe pain management equipment (like Nitro Nox gear, fer instance) that can answer many of the concerns about masking symptoms may be vulnerable to legal reprisal? One medical director I know and respect stated that failure or refusal to provide adequate pain management in the field is malpractice, and I agree. What opinions are held by others on the list? Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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