harold1981
Forum Lieutenant
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I work in Europe and I am trying to understand how legal accountability works in paramedic practice in Canada. I´ve read about the laws, but how are they applied to these (common) situations, and how would you resolve these cases:
1. Physically or chemically restraining a combative patient (assault?)
2. Sedating an anxious patient (assault?)
3. Failing to prevent the fall of a heavy patient during transfer to the stretcher (negligence?)
4. A heavy patient falls off the stretcher or the stretcher flips over with the patient strapped to it (malfeasance? negligence?)
5. Someone appears to be competent, but family states that his behaviour is out of charachter, aggressive and irrational and that ´something is wrong´. Transporting this patient, while he is refusing care (battery, false imprisonment?)
6. Failure to monitor, immobilize or insert an IV into a combative patient (negligence?)
7. A (Intoxicated) patient refuses to sign a release of liability. (negligence, abandonment?)
8. First unit at a MVC. After a quick triage you focus on the patient that you believe has the most need for immediate attention, therefore unable to assess the second patient. Can this second patient claim abandonment or negligence?
9. An alcohol-intoxicated patient does not need medical treatment and is released. He walks off, falls and gets injured. Can he claim abandonment?
10. A patient, believed to have auto-intoxicated with medication, denies the act and refuses assessement and transport. Does he stay behind?
11. An ACP delegates transportation of a patient, only needing BLS, to a PCP-unit (abandonment?)
12. Is a wrong working diagnosis and treating accordingly an act of misfeasance? For example treating a pneumonia instead of CHF?
13. A patient is treated for a fall at lunchtime and is released. Later that evening the same patient is transported with a CVA (abandonment?)
1. Physically or chemically restraining a combative patient (assault?)
2. Sedating an anxious patient (assault?)
3. Failing to prevent the fall of a heavy patient during transfer to the stretcher (negligence?)
4. A heavy patient falls off the stretcher or the stretcher flips over with the patient strapped to it (malfeasance? negligence?)
5. Someone appears to be competent, but family states that his behaviour is out of charachter, aggressive and irrational and that ´something is wrong´. Transporting this patient, while he is refusing care (battery, false imprisonment?)
6. Failure to monitor, immobilize or insert an IV into a combative patient (negligence?)
7. A (Intoxicated) patient refuses to sign a release of liability. (negligence, abandonment?)
8. First unit at a MVC. After a quick triage you focus on the patient that you believe has the most need for immediate attention, therefore unable to assess the second patient. Can this second patient claim abandonment or negligence?
9. An alcohol-intoxicated patient does not need medical treatment and is released. He walks off, falls and gets injured. Can he claim abandonment?
10. A patient, believed to have auto-intoxicated with medication, denies the act and refuses assessement and transport. Does he stay behind?
11. An ACP delegates transportation of a patient, only needing BLS, to a PCP-unit (abandonment?)
12. Is a wrong working diagnosis and treating accordingly an act of misfeasance? For example treating a pneumonia instead of CHF?
13. A patient is treated for a fall at lunchtime and is released. Later that evening the same patient is transported with a CVA (abandonment?)
