I didn't know this actually happened

mitchsmom · Oct 14, 2006

I guess the 911 staff are required to transport, legally, or they would tell them to get their own ride some other way. Does anyone know the legalities on this issue? It is a horrible waste of public funds, yet it does happen all the time.

Someone else surely knows the details more than me, but I understand that this varies from place to place. Apparently, some HAVE to take anyone who calls and some services can assess the situation and decide.

OB_or_NICU_hopeful · Oct 16, 2006

deleted because I'm tired and saying dumb things.

NewERLPN · Oct 18, 2006

As an ER nurse I can tell you MANY stories of blatant abuse of EMS. For example- Chronic Foot Pain

N/V x1

The list goes on and on...

medsurgnurse, RN · Oct 18, 2006

I'm not a nurse, yet, but I've been around the block a few times. When I am a nurse, I plan to focus on fixing up my patients and sending them on their way with as little judgement over their circumstances as possible.

Enough said. And you think we that actually nurses don't take care of our patients and try to educate with as little judgement as possible.

Mugwump53 · Oct 19, 2006

In the population where I work, 911 is the only way to go with broken water, cervical plugs, a splinter in their butt, "it hurts if I press on my bellybutton." (at 3:00 am) :confused: .

We try to tell them that Medicaid isn't going to pay for it. But they still persist. I guess it has something to do with "placenta brain."

SuperFlyRN · Oct 19, 2006

Just last night I had a 23-year-old frequent flyer (she was discharged 2 days ago with her 4th child) call 911 to say "my baby's not eating"-he wasn't, because she ran out of the "free formula" that we gave her. So she came in via ambulance to get more:rolleyes: ...than stopped to visit a friend that just delivered, ate her food tray and than asked how she goes about getting home?!! sigh

SmilingBluEyes · Oct 19, 2006

That one needs social service consult STAT. WOW that is very sad.

olderthandirt · Oct 19, 2006

I've tried to educate people on this for a while. They've read in the childbirth books that membrane rupture = imminent birth. So, they call 911 thinking that immiment means that baby is heading out NOW and they have no time to get to the hospital. I explain that this may not be the case. If your water breaks and you aren't having contractions, wait a bit, see what happens, and call your OB. If you've been in labor for a while (and mom is a primip), think about heading to the hospital but don't kill yourself driving there. Of course, this is not true 100% of the time, but this is my general outline - just because the water breaks doesn't mean the babe is heading out NOW.
I'm getting on my soapbox, but I know this is familiar territory. I hate it when the ambulance pulls up out front, mom is happy, chatting away with everyone (a sign that she's probably in very early labor, if at all), and then the rest of the family entourage arrives five minutes later. Umm.. hello? Where were these people when you said you needed to go to the hospital? Judging from time of their arrival, they weren't very far away, but to make the birth story sooo much more exciting, pregnant mom must arrive by ambulance although she could have safely had her family drive her to the hospital!
Of course, most of these drama queens arrive at taxpayers' expense. Just to make it a bit more exciting in years to come and brag about in coffee circles, just to make everything a bit more dramatic.
This is one of my biggest pet peeves. And it happens more than once a day sometimes.

Where does it say in the Hippocratic Oath that we as medical personal should judge and comment about patient's decisions?

So lets look at this, one item at a time:

1. In this particular patient's situation (and its nice to actually know about her instead of guessing) she had experienced a very quick delivery with her first delivery, generally it's quicker the second time.

2. She would know if any family member was capable of driving her safely, to the hospital and possible deliver the baby along the way.

3. Some woman have complicated pregnancies and know that it would be better to have medical professionals in immediate attendence.

4. As far as seeing pregnant women laughing when the ambulance arrives...I just went through a 911 call for myself. I had had the most excruciating chest pain, it had totally stopped when I decided to make the call. I was scared to death and my dealing with that kind of fear is to laugh and crack jokes (of course my BP was 220/110 out of sheer fear). I think that the doctor thought I was nuts which again was unfortunate because he didn't feel it necessary to do tests, which he did when my blood work showed a heart test out of wack. I thought that I had thrown a clot and since my mother had died of a pulmonary emboli, I was afraid. Maybe this woman had friends that lost babies for whatever reason? What is an emergency to one might be a walk in the park for another.

I don't judge, I am thankful if at the end of the day all my patients lived through what they came in for, REGARDLESS of HOW they got there.

When I let go of what I am. I become what I might be.

dawngloves, BSN, RN · Oct 19, 2006

Where does it say in the Hippocratic Oath that we as medical personal should judge and comment about patient's decisions?
So lets look at this, one item at a time:
1. In this particular patient's situation (and its nice to actually know about her instead of guessing) she had experienced a very quick delivery with her first delivery, generally it's quicker the second time.
2. She would know if any family member was capable of driving her safely, to the hospital and possible deliver the baby along the way.
3. Some woman have complicated pregnancies and know that it would be better to have medical professionals in immediate attendence.
4. As far as seeing pregnant women laughing when the ambulance arrives...I just went through a 911 call for myself. I had had the most excruciating chest pain, it had totally stopped when I decided to make the call. I was scared to death and my dealing with that kind of fear is to laugh and crack jokes (of course my BP was 220/110 out of sheer fear). I think that the doctor thought I was nuts which again was unfortunate because he didn't feel it necessary to do tests, which he did when my blood work showed a heart test out of wack. I thought that I had thrown a clot and since my mother had died of a pulmonary emboli, I was afraid. Maybe this woman had friends that lost babies for whatever reason? What is an emergency to one might be a walk in the park for another.
I don't judge, I am thankful if at the end of the day all my patients lived through what they came in for, REGARDLESS of HOW they got there.
When I let go of what I am. I become what I might be.

I never took the Hippocratic oath.:uhoh21:

danissa, LPN, LVN · Oct 20, 2006

I never took the Hippocratic oath.:uhoh21:[/quote

Me neither Dawngloves, I'm a midwife, NOT a doctor!

NottaSpringChik, BSN, RN · Oct 21, 2006

I had a friend who called her doctor when she went into labor and told him she didn't think she was going to make it the hospital. He told her, "That has never happened to anyone in all my years of doing this. Just get someone to drive you and I'm sure you will make it." Guess what, she didn't make it and her friend had to pull over in morning rush hour traffic while she had the baby in the car. She didn't think it was a very nice experience and baby was a little stressed. Maybe should have called 911 instead of the doctor, who said, "you had to make a liar out of me!"

MrsWampthang, BSN, RN · Oct 22, 2006

While it most likely didn't justify a 911 call, the reality is that far less emergent patients arrive by ambulance in emergency rooms every day.
Examples I've encountered: Patients with jammed fingers, little kids with colds, people who have had a cough for two weeks. It can really boggle the mind.

You are so right. I used to work in the ER, and my husband still does. Historically the worst patients come in through the front door while the ambulance entrance seems to be reserved for those who think back pain for three weeks is an emergency at 3am in the morning. Things like that are the reason that I don't miss ER one bit. Too many patients coming in who think the ER staff lives for them to come in with their complaints that no reasonable person would even go to their family doctor for.:trout:

Pam