Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Richard W Patrick.
The incident commander must ensure that EMS is able to effectively communicate and function as the incident warrants. EMS should provide appropriate services to the general public and emergency responders. With routine cross-training and drills, EMS functions can become common practice when the incident is anything but routine.
Injury and illness related to the work environment are inevitable. The development and implementation of a back-to-work program is beneficial to everyone. Regardless of how an injury or related health issue occurs, returning the affected person back to his preexisting condition is paramount.
It is important to understand that the issues surrounding bioterrorism and all weapons of mass destruction are complex. In an effort to enhance response to such events, EMS should handle all incidents from the perspective of an all-hazards approach. Prevention, preparation, response and recovery are essential to the safe mitigation of all incidents. Organizations must be prepared. Plan now for a safer tomorrow. Your personnel and communities depend on you.
Be aware of how you lift, and take corrective action to lift and move in a safe manner each and every time. It is never too late to practice safe lifting techniques. Avoid hasty activities and twisting motions. Consciously practice proper lifting and moving functions every time you lift or move, and remain aware of your posture when you are sitting or lying. Your spine will appreciate the consideration.
Preemption is another tool for promoting safe passage through intersections. It does not give the emergency services total right-of-way. Emergency vehicle operators must exercise due regard for the safety of everyone. Still, the use of traffic management systems, not speed, is the key component in response time when it comes to saving lives.
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Heart attacks may be a leading killer of emergency-service providers, but many of the contributing risk factors can be addressed through prudent lifestyle practices. Of all businesses and industries, emergency services generally have more knowledge, time and/or flexibility to exercise and actively participate in healthy lifestyles. Perhaps more emphasis should be placed on healthy living than on benefits that deal with the results of unhealthy lifestyles. Stop smoking, drink sensibly, eat a healthy diet and exercise. Until next time ... be safe!
PPE equals one thing personal safety. Employers must ensure that responders are provided with applicable PPE and taught how to use it for the incidents and environments they may encounter. Responders who fail to wear PPE or wear it inappropriately invite injury. Employers should not assume that responders know how or even when to use certain PPE--regular in-service training should be provided. As a responder, you have a responsibility to always undertake safe actions. If you follow this monthly column, you have no doubt heard me say repeatedly that nothing, absolutely nothing, supercedes safety. You are not an expendable resource. Wear your PPE and, most important, wear it the right way.
Needle-sticks and related sharps exposures occur all too often in the prehospital setting. Prevention is the goal. If the unfortunate happens, report the exposure to your employer immediately, following the steps listed above, to ensure appropriate follow-up care. ESO management should establish sound policy with supporting procedures so that every provider can comply with the applicable expectations.
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Emergency responders cannot pick and choose their patients, who come in all shapes and sizes. As lifestyles continue to change, EMS can expect the number of obese and morbidly obese patients to increase. Now is the time to plan. Innovate, initiate and implement engineering controls and safe work practices for providers to use when the everyday call is anything but everyday. Until next time...be safe!
All department personnel must practice and assure safety and security of stations, vehicles, equipment and related items. Keep vehicle bay doors closed unless the bays are physically occupied by a department member. When responding or leaving the station, ensure, after exiting the bay, that the door is closed. If confronted with questions pertaining to department operations, including SOPs and SOGs, box alarms, response patterns, training times, member rosters/addresses, etc., do not provide the information. Document the incident and immediately report it. Should the inquiry appear extremely unusual in nature, do not hesitate to contact law enforcement. Emergency service personnel should be educated on a periodic basis and remain vigilant at all times.
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Administering the right medication in the right dose via the right route to the right patient is essential to quality patient care. Providers must be educated on all related policies and periodically reviewed. In addition, providers must take personal responsibility to assure knowledge and ability to determine the correct medication in any given scenario and calculate the correct dose. EMS administrators, employers, providers and medical directors must work together to identify system problems and establish policies and procedures for efficient and effective prevention of medication errors. Until next time, be safe!.
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Today's emergency service leader is faced with many administrative responsibilities. Much of this work involves protecting personnel against injury. It also involves reducing the effects of losses. To help reduce such problems, the umbrella of risk management and application of the principles of loss control should be used. A loss control program can identify existing or potential problems and provide the means to reduce or eliminate them. A comprehensive risk management program is a systematic method that helps you investigate and identify your problem areas and strategize methods to eliminate, prevent or safeguard against potential risk. It's an easy, straightforward approach that can provide positive results. As an emergency service manager, that's what you want--positive results!