Sorry for no posts this week. I worked four days straight. Did zero calls on Sunday, and then was flat out for three days. The highlight of the week was was a lights and sirens response to a nursing home for a stroke, only to be told the patient was outside having a cigarette and would be back in a few minutes. I did do one interesting call to the trauma room but can't write about it yet because it was in the papers.
I'm trying to be extra careful on calls that could potentially be identified. If its in the news or involves anyone who might read this blog, it will appear at some date later in time with enough details to obscure it.
Baby Medic had a A Problem lately that he seems to have weathered. The rumor was he had used a patient's first name in a post (now removed from his blog) about encountering a patient who on first impression seemed to be a drug addict. Someone told a family member about the post and the family member was very upset. Well, it turns out he did not use the patient's name. And the story was not derogatory to the patient. It was a well-written lesson story, full of humility, about how we shouldn't judge our patients. Still, the controversy just goes to show as bloggers we have a responsibility not just to tell the essential truths about our experiences as care-givers, we have to go the extra yard to protect patient's privacy. I'd like to be able to write about a call exactly as it happened, but sometimes I have to change the patient's sex, age, setting or other characteristics to protect them, while still staying true to the experience of the story.
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I finished my latest rewrite of 10 Things Every Paramedic Should Know About Capnography.
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I'm in charge of getting the articles for the April Journal Club, so I have been working on that. I'm looking at a couple articles:
1. Withholding resuscitation: a new approach to prehospital end-of-life decisions.
2. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation by bystanders with chest compression only (SOS-KANTO): an observational study.
I haven't decided on a third one yet.
Area Paramedics and EMTs are welcome to attend. It's Wednesday April 18 7:00 P.M at the big hospital on the north side of the city. Flyers will be posted next week. You should RSVP a day or two ahead of time to get the articles to read. Dinner is provided free, and you get either 2 or 3 hours of CME. Stop by the hospital or see me for more details. We usually get 7-8 people.
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My new preceptee starts on Sunday. She is part-time so it won't be an everyday deal. I am working on a "Letter to a New Preceptee" post, which I hope to have done on Saturday.
I'll be working a lot this month so hopefully I'll have some interesting calls to write about.
Until then, stay safe everyone.
