Expensive Toy or Useful Tool?

wanderingmedic

wanderingmedic

RN, Paramedic
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What do you think of this device? It seems like just another expensive gismo that just does things paramedics could already do by themselves without the help of an expensive device.

http://www.lifebot.us/lifebot5/
 
Expensive Garbage.

99% of what is marketed for EMS is useless junk.

Esecially if it is electronic.
 
Useless.


That type of thing just benefits agencies that don't trust their Paramedics to make sound clinical judgement in the short time they're actually alone with the patient.



Odd presentation that needs a consult now? I have a phone that can get in contact with both my medical directors, and a radio that can patch me in to any hospital in my area.
 
do you think there could possibly be an application in community paramedicine? that is the only area I can think of it being remotely useful....and even that is a stretch
 
I believe it's a start. I also believe it will improve prehospital care sometime in the future when we are able to treat and street and also improve destination determination for those cases that aren't so cut and dry.
 
Linuss said:
That type of thing just benefits agencies that don't trust their Paramedics to make sound clinical judgement in the short time they're actually alone with the patient.
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It is not even that useful.

That type of device is meant for remote medical providers, who have the capability to perform advanced invasive procedures or improvised treatments utilizing medical specialist consult.

The market for that is extremely small and was probably overexaggerated to begin with.

So to recoup some losses some person probably got the bright idea to have "video" online medical control.

Your med control physician would basically say "yep, transport him to the hospital" in any situation that would be useful. Because even if she decided some novel treatment was needed, either you wouldn't have it, or do not have the training to do it, (or outside of Texas would be against the law for you to perform) which makes the only reasonable decision being to have you transport.

EMS providers, both Basic and medic already have the tools and training to provide the best field treatment for the most common emergencies. If the doctor needs to see and rubber stamp every patient, she might as well just drive around in the ambulance themselves.
 
I think it's a start as well, especially for remote work, but I wonder about their claims, especially regarding Katrina/Rita, when cell service was spotty at best downtown NOLA, and the only thing that was getting in/out reliably was NEXTEL for the first week or so. I always question the reliability of information that already has questionable claims attached...
 
azemtb255 said:
do you think there could possibly be an application in community paramedicine? that is the only area I can think of it being remotely useful....and even that is a stretch
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If I see a patient, I want paid for it.

If you need to call me up with all of that information and video because you cannot make a decision, then I want to see the patient in person before I do.

Which makes that superfluous.

MSDeltaFlt said:
I believe it's a start. I also believe it will improve prehospital care sometime in the future when we are able to treat and street and also improve destination determination for those cases that aren't so cut and dry.
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I think if there is doubt, then the only right answer is hospital.

As for remote medicine, as I said, it will require equipment and providers above the level of paramedic.

Despite what is seen on TV, you cannot simply improvise surgeries. You need equipment, you need anesthesia and resuscitation capability.

Take for exampe something "simple" like an appendicitis. You think you are going to hold this person down while you cut them open, get walked through cut and tie, control bleeding, suture this person up?

Are you going to do the peritoneal lavage if it ruptures? Once you close him then what? Post op with the tree fairy?

Let's say you have an acute medical condition?

Is it going to get the evac there any faster? tell you to give some rare medication? Perhaps you expect to have the doc tell you to go out and find ablue flower with red thorns?

What if the person is so bad they are unconscious? In cardiac arrest? If you think that will be easily solved by a consult, that is magical thinking.
 
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Looks like a move back to calling Rampart to be able to do a procedure.
I guess I could see this as useful in a very remote setting where you have a provider who needs a consult on a procedure he or she doesn't often do? Looks more relevant to the military than anything else.
 
EpiEMS said:
Looks like a move back to calling Rampart to be able to do a procedure.
I guess I could see this as useful in a very remote setting where you have a provider who needs a consult on a procedure he or she doesn't often do? Looks more relevant to the military than anything else.
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Exactly it. I am even willing to bet it was designed and marketed to the military as a primary market.
 
Veneficus said:
Exactly it. I am even willing to bet it was designed and marketed to the military as a primary market.
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That's where the money is.
 
EpiEMS said:
That's where the money is.
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Like I say, always follow the money...

But EMS does buy a lot of crap the military uses that is not at all suited for civilian EMS "because the military uses it."
 
Veneficus said:
Like I say, always follow the money...

But EMS does buy a lot of crap the military uses that is not at all suited for civilian EMS "because the military uses it."
Click to expand...

Certainly true.
 
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