RE: Legal Question

[Guest guest]

I agree with Steve. I discourage Paramedics from carrying around intubation

equipment and drug boxes unless specifically authorized by their medical

directors and service policies and procedures. I, myself, carry only a BVM,

a set of airways, a couple of ladder splints, a manual suction unit (the

famous Dallas suction--a 60 cc irrigation syringe with a #6 ET tube with the

end cut off and smoothed stuck on the end of it) and stethoscope, BP cuff,

scissors and some Kerlix and dressings. No ALS equipment at all. Well, I

DO have a Swiss army knife and a ball point pen. ;~}

Gene

In a message dated 3/26/2003 4:40:57 PM Central Standard Time,

SDralle@... writes:

> Subj: RE: Re: Legal Question

> Date: 3/26/2003 4:40:57 PM Central Standard Time

> From: <A HREF= " mailto:SDralle@... " >SDralle@...</A>

> Reply-to: <A

HREF= " mailto: " > </A>

> To: <A

HREF= " mailto: " > </A>

> Sent from the Internet

>

>

>

> I can assure you that with San AMR this is the view we take on

> this issue. Unless you are and employee of ours, and on the clock with us,

> or are a first responder in our area (and are authorized to perform ALS by

> your medical director) then you cannot do ALS, no matter who you work for.

>

> Additionally, our protocols specifically indicate that paramedics that

> are not on duty cannot operate under the provisions of the protocols. That

> means that if any of our paramedics are out there with an intubation kit or

> a drug box, treating people on the side of the road when they are not on

> duty, they are putting themselves in a very bad legal position. I would

> recommend all of you verify that your protocols cover you when you are off

> duty before you go stopping at a wreck or initiating advanced care.

>

> Steve Dralle, EMT-P

>

> South Texas CES Manager

>

> American Medical Repines

>

>

>

> ---- Original Message -----

>

> To: < >

> Sent: Wednesday, March 26, 2003 11:12 AM

> Subject: RE: Re: Legal Question

>

>

> >I am enjoying the variety of opinions being expressed on this topic, but

> I

> >do find one fact being overlooked. The scenario as presented clearly

> states

> >that the coach/paramedic does not work for the transport provider

> agency.

> >(In fact, the scenario as given does not state that the coach works as a

> >paramedic in any capacity. It only states that he is a paramedic, which

> I

> >take to imply that he has passed the requisite courses and tests. I

> know

> >plenty of folks who are EMTs but who do not work or volunteer in that

> >capacity).

> >

> >So here's the question...If you currently work for a BLS transport

> provider,

> >does your company allow anybody who presents a paramedic credential to

> not

> >only accompany you to the hospital, but to actually turn all control for

> >patient care over to that person? In other words, you arrive on scene

> and

> a

> >person with a paramedic card tells you that the patient is ALS and so

> he's

> >now in charge. You don't know the person at all. Does your company

> policy

> >let you step aside and tell the stranger with the card to go for it?

> >

> >I ask this because this seems to be the prevailing opinion of what

> should

> >happen. I can tell you that it won't happen where I work. (First

> off...we

> >staff our trucks with paramedics only, but it wasn't all that long ago

> that

> >we staffed with BLS providers. Even then the answer would have been

> " no " ).

> >I'm not a lawyer and don't presume to know what's legal and what isn't.

> I

> >only know that our system has very strict standards about who can

> provide

> >care to a patient that we are transporting. I would love to be able to

> say

> >that if I happened upon a situation while traveling around the hill

> country

> >on my motorcycle, and the responding agency was a BLS only provider,

> that

> I

> >would jump in and continue care all the way to the hospital. But I

> can't.

> >I can offer, I can strongly recommend, I can plead, but I can't force

> myself

> >into anybody else's system.

> >

> >But as others have said...this is my perspective only.

> >

> >Ed Strout, RN, CEN, LP

> >Austin- County EMS

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >