# H2O administration



## Anonymous (Sep 12, 2012)

Your are at the ER with your patient, you step outside and someone outside the ER asks you if you know where they can get some water. You have an extra bottle on you that you do not need. Do you give it to them?


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## Melclin (Sep 12, 2012)

No. Its mine. I don't carry a water bottle to hand it out to strangers. 

What on earth is the point of this question?

Is this ganna be some crap about the liability issues of giving someone a bottle of water? Are things really that bad over there?


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## the_negro_puppy (Sep 12, 2012)

One time I was drinking a bottle of water and a patient said "  I need some H2O too" So I gave him a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. True story


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## TechYourself (Sep 12, 2012)

Anonymous said:


> Your are at the ER with your patient, you step outside and someone outside the ER asks you if you know where they can get some water. You have an extra bottle on you that you do not need. Do you give it to them?



No

I'd say something along the lines of

"No I dont know, but if you ask the nurse over at the triage desk he/she might be able to help you out."

Does a couple of things:

Determines whether or not the person is a patient.
Gets the person to triage if they haven't done so already.
Keeps you from becoming the designated "water guy".


As a rule in the ER I work at, all patients become NPO once they check in until the Docs have ruled out surgery (or anything else requiring sedation) as an intervention.


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## JPINFV (Sep 12, 2012)

the_negro_puppy said:


> One time I was drinking a bottle of water and a patient said "  I need some H2O too" So I gave him a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. True story


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## DesertMedic66 (Sep 12, 2012)

Nope. There are a couple of homeless people in our response area that we will give cold water to (since its always 100 degrees outside).


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## abckidsmom (Sep 12, 2012)

Sometimes I randomly give out water, sometimes I don't.  I like being generous with people, but I understand how we can't really be the designated water boys.

I usually only give water when I have an actual customer-ish relationship with the person, and not just a random person on the street.  We usually have a flat of water on the truck, and 8-10 on ice in a cooler all the time.


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## SDog (Sep 22, 2012)

I hope for everyone one in EMS that no gets the "water boy" status lmao


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## Shishkabob (Sep 22, 2012)

I have a cooler in my ambulance filled with water bottled at the start of the shift.  That water is only given to police, fire, EMS, or patients that are suffering from heat exposure.



Anyone else?  GTFO it's mine!  :angry:


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## Achilles (Sep 22, 2012)

Anonymous said:


> Your are at the ER with your patient, you step outside and someone outside the ER asks you if you know where they can get some water. You have an extra bottle on you that you do not need. Do you give it to them?



If they're a pt, no. any other time if someone asks me for a bottle of water, I'll give it to them


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## Handsome Robb (Sep 23, 2012)

Linuss said:


> I have a cooler in my ambulance filled with water bottled at the start of the shift.  That water is only given to police, fire, EMS, or patients that are suffering from heat exposure.
> 
> 
> 
> Anyone else?  GTFO it's mine!  :angry:



Agreed


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## mycrofft (Sep 26, 2012)

Toss it to them as you drive by...at seventy miles per hour. Catch it and keep it, I always says. Especially that five gallon cubie. When it's frozen.


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