You Do Not Need An Ambulance...

[HotelCo]

I prefer they call an ambulance if they think they need it. If they aren't sure... go ahead and call.

-Hotel Co

 

[KEVD18]

I prefer they call an ambulance if they think they need it. If they aren't sure... go ahead and call.

-Hotel Co

why am i suddenly getting this overwhelming feeling that you have very little if any actual street time?

thats not meant to be derogatory. its just that once you get a few years under your belt, everybody gets sick and tired of the system abuse. its universal.

 

[HotelCo]

why am i suddenly getting this overwhelming feeling that you have very little if any actual street time?

thats not meant to be derogatory. its just that once you get a few years under your belt, everybody gets sick and tired of the system abuse. its universal.

No offense taken. You are right I have little street time. Perhaps in years to come I will think differently. But for now...

 

[KEVD18]

thought so. get a little puke on your boots and we'll see.

you'll be just as jaded as the rest of us in no time......

 

[TransportJockey]

"Hurry, my appointment is in 5 minutes!"

 

[fortsmithman]

you don't need an ambulance if it's just to pick you up off the floor and put you back in bed.

 

[Kendall]

you don't need an ambulance if it's just to pick you up off the floor and put you back in bed.

Sometimes EMS is all that an elderly patient may have to get them back in bed. Its safer to call and be assessed at more advanced ages due to the increased risk of injury as a result of aging. To them - its an emergency.

My grandfather sustained a hip fracture from falling out of bed at 73 years old and later died from complications of being bedridden (pneumonia).

 

[Kendall]

I'd rather come out and give them the peace of mind and have them sign a refusal than leave them to lay in agony on the floor because they "didn't want to cause a fuss."

The article from JEMS highlights how many practitioners loose sight of the human aspect of our profession. We are pre-hospital care providers after all. I have a few other blogs and articles somewhere but I don't feel like digging them up at the moment.

 

[Scout]

I have to say i would hope that when the more elderly people call they are not seen as a nusience.

I have known some people who ems is almost their only contact, and when they do ring they are either lonly or do need a hand.


I dont think people like this are abusing the service, well the majority, and would hope they are not seen as an inconvienience

 

[Mongoose]

True story

We chose to broadcast our relay to dispatch instead of calling the hospital ourselves. This was too good to pass up. The entire operation heard this one haha.

"456, we are 10-15 code 2 code 4 'Random'-Hospital. Code 1 for relay."

-Dispatch, "56 go ahead."

"456, we have a 44yo female, chief complaint right thumb pain times twenty minutes. All vitals are within normal limits. ETA of fifteen minutes."

On scene that was her only complaint. Found her AOx3 at her kitchen table writing in her calendar (with her right hand nonetheless). The call was dispatched at 0326.

 

[Sapphyre]

We chose to broadcast our relay to dispatch instead of calling the hospital ourselves. This was too good to pass up. The entire operation heard this one haha.

"456, we are 10-15 code 2 code 4 'Random'-Hospital. Code 1 for relay."

-Dispatch, "56 go ahead."

"456, we have a 44yo female, chief complaint right thumb pain times twenty minutes. All vitals are within normal limits. ETA of fifteen minutes."

On scene that was her only complaint. Found her AOx3 at her kitchen table writing in her calendar (with her right hand nonetheless). The call was dispatched at 0326.

Because someone's going to ask. 10-15 is transporting, code 2 non emergent, code 4 no medic.

 

[FF-EMT Diver]

You'll never hear me complain about the elderly that has non one to take care of them, the only thing you'll hear me say is to their family that cares nothing about them, that is what gripes me.

 

[fortsmithman]

Sometimes EMS is all that an elderly patient may have to get them back in bed. Its safer to call and be assessed at more advanced ages due to the increased risk of injury as a result of aging. To them - its an emergency.

My grandfather sustained a hip fracture from falling out of bed at 73 years old and later died from complications of being bedridden (pneumonia).

Here in Fort Smith our health board has a home care service that operates 24-7 staffed by an RN and LPN's it's their job, only after they have arrived on scene and if they feel that we are needed then sure otherwise call home care.

 

[TransportJockey]

Here in Fort Smith our health board has a home care service that operates 24-7 staffed by an RN and LPN's it's their job, only after they have arrived on scene and if they feel that we are needed then sure otherwise call home care.

That's a nice system, but a lot of places don't have something like that.

 

[BossyCow]

You'll never hear me complain about the elderly that has non one to take care of them, the only thing you'll hear me say is to their family that cares nothing about them, that is what gripes me.

Some people are not prepared to deal with the end of life issues of their elderly parents. Some parent/child relationships are so strained that the parent avoids letting family know how bad things have gotten, or the parent becomes so abusive or manipulative to the family caregiver that they finally just give up. It's very noble to say that we would take care of our family members, but until we have actually walked a mile in the shoes of that family member, we really can't determine what level of emotional cost is being paid by the family.

Very often what appears to be a callous or indifferent attitude of the family is based them distancing themselves from a very painful, emotional situation because they have no tools to deal with it. We do not teach members of our society how to deal with the end of life. We sell them on the idea that Mom will get much better care in the hands of professionals, trained to cope instead of watching you fumble and retch while attempting to change her diapers.

 

[KEVD18]

I have to say i would hope that when the more elderly people call they are not seen as a nusience.

I have known some people who ems is almost their only contact, and when they do ring they are either lonly or do need a hand.


I dont think people like this are abusing the service, well the majority, and would hope they are not seen as an inconvienience

i disagree. that is system abuse, but its unintentional. theres a big difference in intent between the habitual offenders who call and ambulance to go get their pain meds refilled at 3am and granny who calls every tuesday night after murder she wrote because shes lonely. what isnt different is the fact that an ems unit is unavailable to service the people who actually need emergency medical services.

is it inconvienent? you bet it is. i cant count how many times ive run my butt off all day long and just gotten back to the house and gone to sleep only to be awoken to go doc a refusal from granny again becuase hse doesnt actually have a medical complaint.

thats what this business has become, but its not what its supposed to be. it says emergency medical services on the side of my truck.

 

[jochi1543]

i disagree. that is system abuse, but its unintentional. theres a big difference in intent between the habitual offenders who call and ambulance to go get their pain meds refilled at 3am and granny who calls every tuesday night after murder she wrote because shes lonely. what isnt different is the fact that an ems unit is unavailable to service the people who actually need emergency medical services.

is it inconvienent? you bet it is. i cant count how many times ive run my butt off all day long and just gotten back to the house and gone to sleep only to be awoken to go doc a refusal from granny again becuase hse doesnt actually have a medical complaint.

thats what this business has become, but its not what its supposed to be. it says emergency medical services on the side of my truck.

I wonder if instituting co-pay for an EMS call would solve this problem. Here in AB calls are free for those 65 and over, I wonder if things would drastically change if they had to pay as little as $20/call.

That said, we have a frequent flyer who has dementia AND doesn't speak English. Given my lack of experience and her apparent lack of symptoms, it's usually me who ends up in the back with her (my partner is at a more advanced level of training than me, so normally I drive on major calls). It's always a special time, much more so when it comes in after the first 10 hours of the shift because then I get overtime.B):blush: Plus, our call volume is so low, anything is exciting.

 

[KEVD18]

I wonder if instituting co-pay for an EMS call would solve this problem. Here in AB calls are free for those 65 and over, I wonder if things would drastically change if they had to pay as little as $20/call.

That said, we have a frequent flyer who has dementia AND doesn't speak English. Given my lack of experience and her apparent lack of symptoms, it's usually me who ends up in the back with her (my partner is at a more advanced level of training than me, so normally I drive on major calls). It's always a special time, much more so when it comes in after the first 10 hours of the shift because then I get overtime.B):blush: Plus, our call volume is so low, anything is exciting.

charging people for the services they use? blasphemy!

 

[TheMowingMonk]

Call i had yesterday......Cheif Complaint.....Hiccups.... Bear in mind the pt has just been discharged earlier that day for the same thing and he got hiccups again and wanted to go back to the hospital......vitals stable, no other complaints.....

 

[Grady_emt]

Call i had yesterday......Cheif Complaint.....Hiccups.... Bear in mind the pt has just been discharged earlier that day for the same thing and he got hiccups again and wanted to go back to the hospital......vitals stable, no other complaints.....

Good old "if it gets worse or comes back, call 911 and return to the ER"