Whiney hypochondriac (sp?) ?h1n1 pt's

[bled12345]

Is anyone else on the breaking point with h1n1? lol, or is it just alberta that has all the closet panic mongering whiney "I'm the sickest person in the ER why am I waiting" pt.'s coming out of the wood work.

Calling an ambulance for transport to the ER because you have a cough and fever? SERIOUSLY!?!??!!

You know... it wouldn't even bug me if they were dehydrated and nauseated, cause then at least we could do something to make them feel better. But holy crap, going lights and sirens every day to people with a *COLD* is driving me insane.

How is the service you're working for fairing with all this?

 

[Epi-do]

We are getting plenty of them calling as well. I just can't imagine going to the ER for something like a cough and fever that started 2 hours ago. Call your family doctor! And, to call an ambulance for it is even more ridiculous, IMO.

Oh well, what can you do. We just load them up and drop them off. At least, it is keeping us busy.

 

[RyanMidd]

Calgary has just set aside about 6 units (SUV or patient transfer-type units) to deal solely with H1N1 calls. They are all ALS, and basically, the medic on-car is deciding whether the patient:

-Has H1N1 symptoms serious enough to require transport, in which case they route a regular ambulance to the place, or;

-Has some symptoms that warrant staying home, perhaps receiving minimal treatment from the medics, or;

-You have just called us for no reason, and you should probably consider that there are patients who DO require attention, and still managed to get themselves to the Richmond H1N1 diagnostic clinic or the ER, and that the caller should grow up.


Okay, I made up the last one, but it's probably what the majority of "swine flu strike force" calls consist of.

 

[mycrofft]

I cannot begin to tell you.............

....................

 

[WolfmanHarris]

Calgary has just set aside about 6 units (SUV or patient transfer-type units) to deal solely with H1N1 calls. They are all ALS, and basically, the medic on-car is deciding whether the patient:

-Has H1N1 symptoms serious enough to require transport, in which case they route a regular ambulance to the place, or;

-Has some symptoms that warrant staying home, perhaps receiving minimal treatment from the medics, or;

-You have just called us for no reason, and you should probably consider that there are patients who DO require attention, and still managed to get themselves to the Richmond H1N1 diagnostic clinic or the ER, and that the caller should grow up.


Okay, I made up the last one, but it's probably what the majority of "swine flu strike force" calls consist of.

Sounds good. BUT, can you decline treating the BS calls?

 

[RyanMidd]

To be safe, I don't think I'd even turn down treatment as far as patient advocation goes.

I work privately, and this was simply in the local news, but as far as I can tell from Calgary EMS friends, they basically tell the person what constitutes SERIOUS symptoms, have them sign a release, and go to the next one.

Since they are SUV/Type I-II units, they aren't really going to treat & transport to begin with, simply to discern whether it warrants transport or chicken noodle soup.

 

[Seaglass]

I've had a bunch lately where I wondered why they called us. Some just had rather mild cold symptoms... no fever, no body aches. But I'm still taking swine flu seriously. I've seen some pretty sick ones. One poor guy a couple weeks back sounded like a broken pipe organ from across the room, trying to breathe.

 

[medichopeful]

Remember, it's not YOUR emergency. To you, it may seem ridiculous. But to them, it doesn't. You are dealing with these people in their time of need. They deserve the best care possible.

 

[kittaypie]

Remember, it's not YOUR emergency. To you, it may seem ridiculous. But to them, it doesn't. You are dealing with these people in their time of need. They deserve the best care possible.

just wait till you've been in the field for a few years... or if you're in LA, a few months...






not saying i don't treat every patient with dignity and respect (no matter how bs the complaint), but there comes a point when you get a little jaded and you find yourself a teensy bit annoyed at the 3am "itchy foot" 911 call (yes, an actual call i ran).

 

[dmc2007]

Remember, it's not YOUR emergency. To you, it may seem ridiculous. But to them, it doesn't. You are dealing with these people in their time of need. They deserve the best care possible.

There's a difference between denying someone care and respectfully educating the public on when it's appropriate to use our services.

If heaven forbid one of my loved ones was having a real medical emergency, you can be sure I wouldn't want the help they need tied up dealing with uninformed people who think every hiccup is swine flu. Sorry if that hurts their feelings.

 

[VentMedic]

There's a difference between denying someone care and respectfully educating the public on when it's appropriate to use our services.

As an EMT-B, you do not have enough medical training to say anyone's complaint is BS and refuse care.

If heaven forbid one of my loved ones was having a real medical emergency, you can be sure I wouldn't want the help they need tied up dealing with uninformed people who think every hiccup is swine flu. Sorry if that hurts their feelings.

That can go the other way as well. It might be your loved one that you are so concerned about that gets blown off because to an EMT-B, their complaint sounds like BS.

 

[dmc2007]

As an EMT-B, you do not have enough medical training to say anyone's complaint is BS and refuse care.

That can go the other way as well. It might be your loved one that you are so concerned about that gets blown off because to an EMT-B, their complaint sounds like BS.

Did I ever say I would be the one to make that judgment call? I support a system like the one RyanMidd mentioned, where ALS providers are the one making such a determination, not EMT-Bs.

 

[RyanMidd]

ALS in Alberta consitutes either 2 Paramedics (full training), or 1 Paramedic and 1 EMT (more or less EMT-I equivalent).

But you are correct, most attending decisions are left to the 'Medic while working a call, and I'm glad that EMS in Calgary is progressive enough to have made these teams to ease the burden of H1N1 related cases on other units.

Keep in mind that, when these cases DO warrant treatment & transport, you already have an ALS team onsite with equipment and meds. Its just a matter of sending a unit capable of transport as well.