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Discussion

Blood on my hands

So, I was sitting at the bus stop the other day, waiting for my bus, when I turned mty head to see a girl not much younger then me get hit by a car. She was hit on the side of her leg causing her to start to upend and slam her head into the windshield. I knew she was going to be injured so I put my book down and grabbed my extra tshirt I had and ran over to her.

She started to get up(thank goodness) and I immediatley told her to lay back down. She was bleeding severly from her head when she had impacted with the windshield. I told her my name and that I had EMT training, and I wanted to help her. She said yes, so I proceeded to place the t-shirt on her head while starting to talk to her. I checked for her ABC's asked her where she was, if she knew what happened, what her name was, basically kept her talking.

By this time there were numerous poeple crowding around screaming crying and yelling, including the person calling 911. This was not helping so I told a everyone to calm down and back up. I told the citizen who was on the phone to put the phone to my ear so I could speak to the operator because he was not providing information, just yelling at the person to stop asking so many questions and get out there because she was hurt bad. I spoke with the operator who was clearly frazzled due to the previous person and calmly told her where we were at.

After what seemed like ages, the paramedics arrived and took over cspine and care for her. She was rushed to a local hospital and that was the last I heard or saw of her. I am concerned tho, because I do not know if there was anything else I could have done or should have done to help her. Due to the new HIPPA regulations I cannot and could not find out anything about how she is. I even tried to talk to the responding fire company and they told me something similar, that even they could not find out.

While I recognize that patient privacy is of utmost concern, isn't that a bit extreme?? I have been tossing it around in my head and while attempting to analyze it, I do not know if she made it. Sigh just worries me. Anything I could have done different? I am not a nurse yet just finishing up my prerequisite lower division classes so what do you all think? Is there anyway I could find out if she's ok?

One thing I found odd about the whole situation is I was shockingly calm throughout the time. Which brings me to wonder if maybe ER is in my future? I don't know...just wondering what you all think about it all....

Also posting this from my phone so sorry for the bad grammar and spelling lol.

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    • Featured Replies

    No you might not find out anything except if your local news reports the accident.

    Best thing you did was calm everybody and get that call with info needed out in order to get responders on the scene. The PRIORITY is to get qualified emergency help there. You facilitated that. You did a good job.

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    Thank God you were there. You did an excellent job. I understand wanting to know how she is. I've assisted in a few accidents, wondered about the outcome and moved forward. I know what you say about being calm while assisting, it's wierd, cause normally even though I've been an RN for a long time, I usually freak out then the calm overtakes me. I think the professional medical mind takes over. Thanks goodness it does.

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    • Experts

    The citizen??? That is a very odd way of speaking......where are you from?? When stop and help someone you need to be sure that you are acting within your scope of practice even if there are good samaritan laws...which vary state to state but essentially say......

    "Any person who in good faith renders emergency care, without remuneration or expectation of remuneration, at the scene of an accident or emergency to the victim of the accident or emergency shall not be liable for any civil damages resulting from the persons acts or omission, except for such damages as may result from the persons gross negligence or wanton acts or omissions."

    But that doesn't give you access to their care after you have released their care to another healthcare provider. HIPAA (not HIPPA) protects healthcare information and privacy. You did your thing now move on........just because you helped doesn't give you the right to know any further information. Check the news or local newspaper....you may try the EMS/firedepartment but they don't have to release their information either. Be glad you helped but you need to just let it go.....they are entitled to privacy.

    It is what it is and it's the law.....peace

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    Okay, first thing: You are so many kinds of AWESOME I don't even know where to begin. You were calm, you knew what to do and you handled the situation.

    In the future when you become the awesome nurse you will be, you'll understand more of what it's like to let go. I've pumped a lot of chests on a lot of patients. Then I go home. Sometimes you find out what happened, sometimes not. The paramedics who rolled the injured girl out know what it's like, they answer the call and do the best they can, then they go on to the next call. That's just the nature of the business.

    You'll get it. It;s not cold or unfeeling, it's self preservation kind of; you cannot check up on every good thing you do as a nurse. At the point you are though, training, I can understand you want to know more. You'll just have to rest assured that you did the best you could and given the actions of the citizens around you, you were just the saint that was needed in that place at that time. Serendipity.

    Oh I'm sorry, I may have forgotten to tell you that you're freaking AWESOME.

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    Okay, first thing: You are so many kinds of AWESOME I don't even know where to begin. You were calm, you knew what to do and you handled the situation.

    In the future when you become the awesome nurse you will be, you'll understand more of what it's like to let go. I've pumped a lot of chests on a lot of patients. Then I go home. Sometimes you find out what happened, sometimes not. The paramedics who rolled the injured girl out know what it's like, they answer the call and do the best they can, then they go on to the next call. That's just the nature of the business.

    You'll get it. It;s not cold or unfeeling, it's self preservation kind of; you cannot check up on every good thing you do as a nurse. At the point you are though, training, I can understand you want to know more. You'll just have to rest assured that you did the best you could and given the actions of the citizens around you, you were just the saint that was needed in that place at that time. Serendipity.

    Oh I'm sorry, I may have forgotten to tell you that you're freaking AWESOME.

    do you and the op, work on the same emt team?;)

    leslie

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    Your EMT training kicked in and you appear to have handled yourself well. Have you worked as an EMT? It's excellent experience.

    Good job. :)

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    I second it...you're all sorts of awesome!

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    • Experts

    Having been in a similar situation, I understand your strong desire for information about the accident victim. But as others have said, the fact that you helped her does not give you the right to her private information. Even in the hospital, staff are only "entitled" to the information they need to do their jobs. We don't get to see/know everything. I'll never know what happened to the electrical burn victims that I helped. I've always wondered ... but I had to let it go.

    Be satisfied with knowing that you reacted well in that situation and did a great job.

    :yeah::yeah::yeah:

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    You are such a rock-star! So calm in a scary situation, and out of the workplace (where it's your job to do that). I think you did a phenomenal job, especially with keeping everyone calm. I do want to say that the title of your post freaked me out. I'm thinking Macbeth...that you had murdered someone!! But this post was exactly the opposite (thank GOD!) :)

    you go!

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    Your "right" to information about patient status/care etc. ends when you are no longer in direct care of the patient/transfer care to another HCP, in this case EMS. It sounds like you did a good job in the situation and others were in shock/panic at the scene. Fire & EMS almost never get follow up unless family initiates. Paramedics depending on the state may get a "admit, discharge, admit to ICU" status but that is only so they can justify charges when billing insurance in my area for advanced life support treatment & transport.

    Check your local paper, public information and if the family consented the details of her condition/status/etc may be in the paper.

    Other than that, as a former EMT, you just kind of get used to not knowing and are surprised when you do get details of their progress later (perhaps a family member or the patient remembers you and updates you, maybe a thank you note). Even as a nurse, if you work ER you should not be calling up to the floor to find out about your patient as you do not have a legal right/need to know as you are no longer a participant in the patient's direct care.

    Working in a department like emergency or PACU, you need to be able to know that once the patient is stabilized and transferred your relationship ends. If you want to follow a patient's progress then perhaps a department that patients are in longer such as ICU, med-surg, sub-acute rehab, etc. might be better suited. The ability to stay calm in chaos is beneficial to a multitude of nursing practice areas.

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    • Author

    Ok. Thanks for all your responses.

    I have never worked as an emt, just done ride alongs with the fire department and went through the emt-basic training which also included triage and disaster training. I know of HIPPA from working for a health insurance company however ii did not know until this thread how extensive the regulations were. I will move on, I was just worried....because I've never been in a situation like that or worked in a job were that was a part of the daily activites.

    I am from here, but citizen seemed appropriate for him at the time because while he was attempting to do the right thing he was panicked but was trying to be a good citizen.

    Thanks again.

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