Hello all. I am not sure who will be able/willing to assist me. As an EMT-basic, I truly regret having to go through and critique the run report of one of my own. Especially one who works for the very agency that taught me so that I could get my licensure.
Almost two months ago (September 9, 2007), I was placed at a very tough crossroad. My mother went horse back riding and fell off of the horse that she had rented. She had 40 years of experience riding, and was attempting to help another rider when her horse reared up and off she went. A local agency was dispatched, and they took her to a trauma center where she passed away on September 11, 2007 (as if that day wasn't bad enough!). Her Neuro surgeon, upon informing me that I had "A very difficult decision to make," had stated that he may have been able to do surgery had the medic inserted the ET Tube properly, therefore, her brain would have received proper oxygenation. With that having been said, I waited a couple of weeks before I decided to contact an attorney to have things investigated, and he asked that I please critique the run report, but honestly, a basic critiquing the report of a medic???
Upon trying to read the chicken scratch on this Medic's run report, I had several questions, a few of which BBFDMedic28 and Aileana have assisted me. The issues that I am having with this run report are this:
1. There is an hour's worth of missing vitals. I am under assumption, that they should have still been checked and documented. (We were taught that if it isn't written, it didn't happen.) Am I wrong in assuming that the hour worth of vitals should have been documented???
2. There was almost an hour in between the first attempt to intubate after the last documented set of vitals and nothing is written in the report about why it took so long to attempt the intubation, much less is there any mention of an attempt at inserting an OPA.
3. I am curious as to why there was no attempt at an OPA nor even a trach (at the worst) after two unsuccessful attempts at intubation.
A comment was made that just because the GCS was less than 3, does not always indicate a need for intubation, yet our instructor put it like this to us "less than 8, intubate." Aside from that, there WAS air support available.
This Medic worked for the responding agency for only two weeks prior to my mother's accident. I don't want the state to revoke his license, that's not fair unless it is proven that he was grossly negligent, but at the same time, if there is a case here, the attorney can go after the agency's insurance. Please let me assure you that I am not a "sue happy" person. I wrestled with contacting an attorney at all, it sickens me to have the actions of one of my co-workers investigated.
Any how, if there is anyone who would be willing to assist, please send me a private message and I will send the links for the run report to you.
Thank you in advance!
Respectfully,
B. Dhooghe
Almost two months ago (September 9, 2007), I was placed at a very tough crossroad. My mother went horse back riding and fell off of the horse that she had rented. She had 40 years of experience riding, and was attempting to help another rider when her horse reared up and off she went. A local agency was dispatched, and they took her to a trauma center where she passed away on September 11, 2007 (as if that day wasn't bad enough!). Her Neuro surgeon, upon informing me that I had "A very difficult decision to make," had stated that he may have been able to do surgery had the medic inserted the ET Tube properly, therefore, her brain would have received proper oxygenation. With that having been said, I waited a couple of weeks before I decided to contact an attorney to have things investigated, and he asked that I please critique the run report, but honestly, a basic critiquing the report of a medic???
Upon trying to read the chicken scratch on this Medic's run report, I had several questions, a few of which BBFDMedic28 and Aileana have assisted me. The issues that I am having with this run report are this:
1. There is an hour's worth of missing vitals. I am under assumption, that they should have still been checked and documented. (We were taught that if it isn't written, it didn't happen.) Am I wrong in assuming that the hour worth of vitals should have been documented???
2. There was almost an hour in between the first attempt to intubate after the last documented set of vitals and nothing is written in the report about why it took so long to attempt the intubation, much less is there any mention of an attempt at inserting an OPA.
3. I am curious as to why there was no attempt at an OPA nor even a trach (at the worst) after two unsuccessful attempts at intubation.
A comment was made that just because the GCS was less than 3, does not always indicate a need for intubation, yet our instructor put it like this to us "less than 8, intubate." Aside from that, there WAS air support available.
This Medic worked for the responding agency for only two weeks prior to my mother's accident. I don't want the state to revoke his license, that's not fair unless it is proven that he was grossly negligent, but at the same time, if there is a case here, the attorney can go after the agency's insurance. Please let me assure you that I am not a "sue happy" person. I wrestled with contacting an attorney at all, it sickens me to have the actions of one of my co-workers investigated.
Any how, if there is anyone who would be willing to assist, please send me a private message and I will send the links for the run report to you.
Thank you in advance!
Respectfully,
B. Dhooghe
