Question regarding wheelchair van

[jemt]

So today I'm asked to help out with a wheelchair trip since they were so backed up. I pick the patient up and take him back to the nursing home. His daughter is with him and me and her assist him into his bed. At this point I see a some sort of line leading to a bag still on the wheelchair that the daughter informs me is a line that goes into his kindey. She takes blame for forgetting about it and the pt. said it wasn't my fault. The bag/line was not easily seen and I wasn't given any kind of PMH. I get back to the office and my supervisor tells me to write a incident report since it was my fault.

So was it my fault and should I write a incident report?

 

[ArcticKat]

Yes and Yes

The patient was technically in your care. Even if no one told you about the attachment you'd be expected to conduct a thorough patient assessment and have discovered it t that time. The daughter probably didn't give you a signed declaration that she does not hold you responsible for the incident. Without that, you've gotta have the incident report to protect your hiney.

 

[jemt]

Even though for all anyone knew I was just a wheelchair van driver with no EMT certification?

 

[abckidsmom]

Even though for all anyone knew I was just a wheelchair van driver with no EMT certification?

Take responsibility for your mistake. It was just that, a mistake, and probably is not going to result in any trouble for you, but you have to learn early to be extremely observant and take responsibility where you need to.

Don't look for a loophole, just do what the boss says. If you think the boss is out of line, find a new place to work.

 

[jemt]

Take responsibility for your mistake. It was just that, a mistake, and probably is not going to result in any trouble for you, but you have to learn early to be extremely observant and take responsibility where you need to.

Don't look for a loophole, just do what the boss says. If you think the boss is out of line, find a new place to work.

Good advice.

 

[exodus]

Even though for all anyone knew I was just a wheelchair van driver with no EMT certification?

Do whatever you sup's tell you to do. Even if it was a w/c driver with no experience in EMS, they would still have to write an incident report. An incident report isn't a NEGATIVE in your file. It's just a record.

IMO, I would rather see an employee with a file full of reports, than one with none at all. We WILL make mistakes, and I want to have the employee who reports mistakes to me instead of someone else reporting them.


As far as liability, yes you are liable, but to how much and to what extend would be between your company and the lawyers.

Tread lightly, don't want you to get in trouble with the mods because of this rule:

No Legal Advice or Attorney-Client Relationship
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[exodus]

Good advice and I just don't want to implement myself in a lawsuit by submitting a incident report.

Submitting one does not put you in the lawsuit. By you running the call, you are already involved with any suit involving any part of the patients care.

 

[JPINFV]

I'm still a little confused. Did the line (foley?) get pulled out?

 

[abckidsmom]

I'm still a little confused. Did the line (foley?) get pulled out?

It sounds like it was a nephrostomy.

 

[jemt]

I'm still a little confused. Did the line (foley?) get pulled out?

It was some kinda line leading to his kidney/than to the bag on the wheelchair.

 

[looker]

I am confused on why did you continue with patient in to the nursing home once you unloaded the patient? Also considering that ambulate is not emt requirement you supervisor is wrong. Staff that released him to his daughter is the one that should be responsible.

 

[JPINFV]

Take responsibility for your mistake. It was just that, a mistake, and probably is not going to result in any trouble for you, but you have to learn early to be extremely observant and take responsibility where you need to.

Don't look for a loophole, just do what the boss says. If you think the boss is out of line, find a new place to work.

If he was operating as a wheelchair van driver in a wheel chair van, why would it be expected that he provides EMT level care?

 

[Tigger]

If he was operating as a wheelchair van driver in a wheel chair van, why would it be expected that he provides EMT level care?

Where I work we have plenty of EMTs looking for OT on the chair cars and they have been specifically instructed to act just as a non-trained driver would. Apparently there was a problem with some EMT/Drivers "assessing" customers, which was not well received.

There should be no expectation of care in a wheelchair van. That said, an incident report should be filed because a) the boss said so and b) harm (possibly) befell a patient. It's a record, not necessarily a demerit.


Sent from my out of area communications device.

 

[JPINFV]

It sounds like it was a nephrostomy.

The OP sounds like he's new at the game, and if he's taking simply what the patient's family said, then it could be a lot of things. Is a "tube that goes to the kidney" a foley equivalent of "water pill" or "sugar pill?"

It was some kinda line leading to his kidney/than to the bag on the wheelchair.

What I'm trying to figure out is what exactly happened. Did it get pulled out, disconnected, just pulled tight, etc? There's a whole spectrum that ranges from nothing to really really bad.

 

[mycrofft]

"It was your fault, so write an incident report"

Hell yes. You write it or some hatchet job will. Write one even if they don't want you to.

 

[JPINFV]

I am confused on why did you continue with patient in to the nursing home once you unloaded the patient? Also considering that ambulate is not emt requirement you supervisor is wrong. Staff that released him to his daughter is the one that should be responsible.

Customer service is one good reason. I've done plenty of small things to lend a hand that wasn't required of me when I was working. Be it helping to get a weight pre/post dialysis, or lending a hand rolling my patient so dialysis staff can help clean up the patient because the SNF staff were a bunch of boobs, to even helping get a patient back in bed once while waiting for my partner to complete the PCR (which ultimately resulted in grabbing an emergency run because we were there).

 

[mycrofft]

Why expect a WC Van operator to give EMT service?

Better to ask, why not hire an EMT to do it so she/he knows what to look for and not to do?

 

[JPINFV]

Why expect a WC Van operator to give EMT service?

Better to ask, why not hire an EMT to do it so she/he knows what to look for and not to do?

If the patient doesn't meet medical necessity to go by ambulance, then do they require EMT service? More importantly, if this is an external bag attached to the wheel chair, then why didn't a cursory "let's look at the wheel chair" turn it up? Is looking for attached equipment a requirement for EMTs but not wheel chair van drivers?

 

[looker]

Customer service is one good reason. I've done plenty of small things to lend a hand that wasn't required of me when I was working. Be it helping to get a weight pre/post dialysis, or lending a hand rolling my patient so dialysis staff can help clean up the patient because the SNF staff were a bunch of boobs, to even helping get a patient back in bed once while waiting for my partner to complete the PCR (which ultimately resulted in grabbing an emergency run because we were there).

Maybe you missed it, we are talking wheelchair van and not an ambulance. Job of a driver is to load/unload the patient and that is all.

 

[JPINFV]

Maybe you missed it, we are talking wheelchair van and not an ambulance. Job of a driver is to load/unload the patient and that is all.

The job of an EMT on an ambulance doesn't include getting a weight either, yet how often do EMTs in So Cal weigh their patients for the dialysis clinic?