I only report relevant information. Vitals are only relevant if they are abnormal. History is only relevant if it bears on the chief complain. So with a chest pain call, a previous cardiac history is relevant, but back surgery 9 months ago isnt. The back surgery is relevant if the complaint is back pain though. I also don’t list interventions unless they are remarkable or outside that’s expected.
Here are two chest pain reports.
Hospital, rescue 1 inbound priority two with a 55 year old male complaining of 7/10 retrosternal chest pain without radiation for one hour. No other acute complaints. No acute ST segment changes noted on ekg, vitals are stable, eta 10 minutes. Do you have any questions?
Notice I didn’t say I put in an IV, gave asprin, or nitro. These are all standard ‘chest pain things’ and add no value to a radio report. I have painted a picture of an urgent, but not bells and whistles emergent patient that will require a monitored bed, a physician to see the patient immediately, a stat ekg and lab tech. They don’t need any more information to make start that process.
Hospital rescue 1 inbound priority 1 with a STEMI alert, I repeat a STEMI alert. 55 year old male complaining of 9/10 retrosternal chest pain with radiation to left arm. Pt is cool, pale, diaphoretic, nauseous, with a history including MI with stunting and CABG. EKG shows inferior wall Mi with no RV involvement at this time. Pt is hypotensive in the 70’s, and tachycardic at 110. Unable to establish IV access. ETA 7 minutes. Questions?
So this is a little more involved, but is still less than thirty seconds of talking time. The physician should be at the bed side awaiting my arrival, along with the ekg tech, lab tech, and the cath lab teams pagers should have beeped 6 minutes ago. You need every word of it, and there is zero fat.
A nothing, bs call might sound like this
Hospital, rescue 1 inbound priority 3 with a 26 year old male complaining of 8/10 back pain after yard work. No acute findings on physical exam. Pt has history of back spasms. Vitals stable. ETA 10 minutes. Questions?
That <10 seconds on the radio. They know this patient needs no acute intervention, is appropriate for the waiting room or walk in clinic. Again, zero fat.
If you’re telling them about irrelevant history and dumping piles of sub acute data on them on the radio, around here they will literally walk away from the radio. You’re also tying up the channel for somebody that might need stat med control. Zero fat, 100% efficiency. That’s your goal. Use every word you need, and need every word you use.
