Prehospital Physicians

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rescue1

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Are there any systems in the US that utilize physicians in some response capacity? Whether it's a special case call out or a dedicated part of the response framework.
I know Maryland has the Go Team out of STC and I think somewhere in Jersey has some physicians in the field, but is there anywhere else?
And for anyone with experience in this system, how does it improve (or worsen :confused: ) patient care?
 
i think there are some places were the medical director will actually go on calls
 
EMT B said:
i think there are some places were the medical director will actually go on calls
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Yes in my city the medical director will go on calls all the time.. As well as atleast one more doctor that will go on calls as well.. Pretty cool to have a doc on scene if you ask me!
 
Our medical directors will roll on calls as well. The local trauma centers will send out a trauma doc when requested for field amputations or involved, complicated entrapments.
 
We have an ambulance that rolls with a doc and a few specially trained RNs. This ambulance is a mobile pediatric intensive care unit.
 
Our medical director will hop on our ambulances from time to time. I don't think he actually does any treatment though, merely does it for observation purposes.

A doctor will accompany us in our baby car when we go on baby calls. I believe doctors will also accompany us on the pediatric car as well depending on the call.

In order for a doctor or nurse to ride they must pass the EMT class under state law. This doesn't apply to doctors or nurses hopping onboard for a specific patient.
 
It can be interesting at times to have our medical directors show up on our scenes and tell a pt that they do not need to go to a hospital by ambulance.
 
That must be nice (assuming it's done correctly, I guess). We had a director who would ride with us, but I don't recall him ever acting outside the scope of our ALS protocols. We also had run that rode at our work that loved to both micromanage and actively promote widespread backboard use. They were not so popular.

For those with docs on calls (911, physician IFT looks to be a different animal), is there any difference in how calls are handled? Do they seek alternative treatment options or perform any non-protocol procedures, or just sort of act as a second medic?
 
We have emergency or ICU doctors on the helicopter and a group of specially trained rural GPs will respond when required in areas where ICP is more than half an hour away when they are required
 
Maybe I could be a Prehospital CRNA and anesthetize patients for a comfy ride to the Hospital.
 
We have a physician in a fly car in my area. He will respond to things the air medical units are unable to get to due to weather or volume, by special call or if it sounds cool on the radio. They can do anything a doctor can do, obviously they are limited by the equipment they carry but the act to their full education. They can reduce fractures, do selective clearance, and even perform field amputations
 
We had some flight surgeons who would carry a pager and join the PJ's if a rescue was called. Mostly just for sheets and grins, but one made some difference a few times. She wound up being the first maxillofacial surgeon in-theater for "DESERT STORM".
 
I know two HEMS organizations based out of Wisconsin and Boston use EM physicians to staff their choppers.
 
Does Medicins Sans Frontiers count?
 
Obstructions said:
I know two HEMS organizations based out of Wisconsin and Boston use EM physicians to staff their choppers.
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UMass Lifeflight is actually moving away from having EM residents on their helicopter and are now hiring paramedics.

I have not heard why this is.
 
jrm818 said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ll3uipTO-4A

I think I heard
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It might actually be cheaper to staff the helicopter with EM residents as they are paid similar to a paramedic. I've heard that the change is a result of a new program director who thinks that residents should be in the ED more and that the helicopter should be optional and not a requirement (also, some docs don't want to fly... I know I wouldn't). Supposedly his decision to do away with that part of their program was very controversial among faculty and residents.
 
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