Dumbest Questions People Ask You

bakertaylor28

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Company policy not to allow the patient to walk. Stupid I know. Some rules are meant to be broken. Plus I was preventing PE's.

They have those policies for the sole purpose of defending themselves from lawsuit- as they set up the 'qualified immunity' defense if your working for a government contractor or other government provider. If you break policy, chances are that you use 'qualified immunity' and then it all comes down as to the facts and circumstances as to exactly why you broke policy- and lawyers have a way of twisting facts.
 

luke_31

Forum Asst. Chief
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That works right up until you have multiple patients needing c-spine precautions. Then, good luck fitting more than two in the same rig and still be able to work without stepping on someone. :)
No backboarding for most patients, just C-collars and if it's that bad we would call for our helicopter and more ambulances as needed
 

bakertaylor28

Forum Lieutenant
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No backboarding for most patients, just C-collars and if it's that bad we would call for our helicopter and more ambulances as needed

meh, in my mind, if I'm using the collar, I'm probably using the backboard- I just can't plausibly see a situation where c-spine is appropriate where we'd KNOW for the fact (without XR) that suspected trauma is confined above the T and L vertebra - and these things have an interesting way of NOT being symptomatic in the slightest at times.
 

luke_31

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meh, in my mind, if I'm using the collar, I'm probably using the backboard- I just can't plausibly see a situation where c-spine is appropriate where we'd KNOW for the fact (without XR) that suspected trauma is confined above the T and L vertebra - and these things have an interesting way of NOT being symptomatic in the slightest at times.
Read up on some of the studies, you'll find you are doing more harm then good by backboarding all your patients. I'm sure in the future c-collars will change too.
 

VentMonkey

Family Guy
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I'm sure in the future c-collars will change too.
I detest the X-collars; they are absolute garbage. I wish we would all universally just mandate Philly collars.
 

bakertaylor28

Forum Lieutenant
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Read up on some of the studies, you'll find you are doing more harm then good by backboarding all your patients. I'm sure in the future c-collars will change too.

This is a valid point. C-spine isn't without it's issues- however, there's also the public stigma about NOT using it (regardless of the empirical data in support of not using it.) Lawyers love public perception when it works for them, regardless of how detrimental it is in reality.

Mind you personally I HATE using backboards and would rather NOT given the choice- as they are heavy and difficult to lug around on scene.
 

luke_31

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This is a valid point. C-spine isn't without it's issues- however, there's also the public stigma about NOT using it (regardless of the empirical data in support of not using it.) Lawyers love public perception when it works for them, regardless of how detrimental it is in reality.
Lawyers can do all they want, as long as protocols are followed they can't go down that road and be successful.
 

bakertaylor28

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Lawyers can do all they want, as long as protocols are followed they can't go down that road.

That is true... BUT you still have that public perception stigma that you have to overcome- People (especially juries, whom do not have our education) will sometimes overlook expert opinion and protocol, looking more to public perception, which is resistant to change, because of the fact that there are alot of people out there that are not willing to so much as question the conventional wisdom. So really, it all comes down to your service obtaining a really good mouthpiece, in the event of a problematic case.
 

luke_31

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That is true... BUT you still have that public perception stigma that you have to overcome- People (especially juries, whom do not have our education) will sometimes overlook expert opinion and protocol, looking more to public perception, which is resistant to change, because of the fact that there are alot of people out there that are not willing to so much as question the conventional wisdom. So really, it all comes down to your service obtaining a really good mouthpiece, in the event of a problematic case.
Considering my service is federal I'm not too concerned.
 

Jim37F

Forum Deputy Chief
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Even working for a private company "Public Perception" had absolutely little to no effect on how we treated the patient in front of us......and never once did I have a situation where people asking why we didn't c-spine them or their loved ones...usually they were asking if it was really necessary and if we could take all that stuff off.....
 

NysEms2117

ex-Parole officer/EMT
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@Jim37F soooo is shaka thank you???? oooh ooh i got it, Mahalo is hello!!!!
 

DesertMedic66

Forum Troll
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I’ve grown tired of the random public asking “what happened?” So I have turned to normally saying “shark attack” with a straight face and then walking away. I work in the middle of the desert with no ocean anywhere around.
 

Jim37F

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Can you show this to every fire department in California ever then? Preferably in "Crayola" writing via PowerPoint...

I’ve grown tired of the random public asking “what happened?” So I have turned to normally saying “shark attack” with a straight face and then walking away. I work in the middle of the desert with no ocean anywhere around.
I'd so steal that! Except here they may take that literally.....
 

CALEMT

The Other Guy/ Paramaybe?
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johnrsemt

Forum Deputy Chief
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I have stopped multiple times to feed patients and crews; but when you transport 12+ hours a few times you need to
 

johnrsemt

Forum Deputy Chief
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We used to tell people that asked what happened "Plane Crash" except on the side of the freeway with a plane (not a crash, ran out of fuel and landed, pulled off to the side and dropped his wing into the ditch). Told people it was a shark attack. In the Midwest that works ok.
 

Medic27

Forum Lieutenant
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"Am I going to die????", no sir you have a broken arm.

Said every other patient ever.
 
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