Advanced Directive

[EMT B]

so at school there is a student and on their medical card it says at the bottom

do not take me to [hospital name] (it is the local clinic) unless I risk loss of life or limb. it then has their signature and the date on it. do I have to follow that order legally? I know morally I should but im thinking from a legal standpoint

 

[Household6]

That's not an advance care directive anymore then the card in my wallet identifies me as an honorary crew member of the Starship Enterprise.

 

[LACoGurneyjockey]

Is it signed by this person and a doctor? When I have someone sign AMA, I explain I can't diagnose exactly what's going on, and their condition may deteriorate to include death. Will it happen, probably not. Is there "a RISK of loss of life or limb", most likely (however minor).

And WHOA! You're an honorary member of the Starship Enterprise. What a badass!

 

[Household6]

Is it signed by this person and a doctor?

And WHOA! You're an honorary member of the Starship Enterprise. What a badass!

Yea, if those :censored::censored::censored::censored::censored::censored::censored:s would just travel back in time and get here like the did in ST IV, I'd be totally stoked to go for a ride.

 

[EMT B]

I didn't think so but I wanted to double check. Thank you!

 

[Aidey]

It might not be an advanced directive, but it may have legal standing and you should check with your higher ups before discounting it because it isn't an advanced directive.

 

[JPINFV]

And WHOA! You're an honorary member of the Starship Enterprise. What a badass!

Not if he's a red shirt...

 

[TheLocalMedic]

Why exactly would this guy have a card that says that?

And is that an actual hospital or a clinic? Where I'm located transporting to clinics isn't an option, we must transport to an emergency department.

As far as I'm concerned, people have the right to choose where they get transported (within reason, I'm not driving 30+ minutes out of the way), unless there is a specialty receiving facility required. So if they don't want to go somewhere, then they get to choose where they are going.

 

[DesertMedic66]

Check with your protocols. We are only allowed to follow state approved DNR/POLST.

 

[EMT B]

Why exactly would this guy have a card that says that?

And is that an actual hospital or a clinic? Where I'm located transporting to clinics isn't an option, we must transport to an emergency department.

Well it is an actual emergency room, but everyone calls it a clinic because they don't do much there. A veterinary clinic is more equipped to handle a patient than this hospital. We take the BS of the BS to this hospital, and we take the real bad calls there to get stabilized and then we leave. I would hesitate to call this place a level 3 trauma center.
We frequently get called there to transfer patients to another hospital for MRIs and getting casts. We also frequent the facility because the doctors cannot intubate to save their own family.
My guess is they have this on their medical card because they know that this place is incompetent. I would be all for transporting them to the hospital 30 mins away to assure they saw competent care, unless they needed to be stabilized first.

 

[DrankTheKoolaid]

If he is conscious and refuses transport to the closest facility simply do a selective AMA and go where he wants.