January 27, 2009
Ethics Department
PSA: Where's your kit?
Got an email from Bob (not his real name. His real name is Karl Keller*) earlier today, and it's worth sharing:
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* Yes, I have permission to post this, and name him, silly.
I went on a date with Kristy last night and we ended up in the emergency room. Well, that's the short version.The idea is not to be looking out for opportunities to play doctor, but that, if you have only a little bit of knowledge, a clear understanding of where that knowledge begins and ends, and a fair amount of humility, you might end up being able to make a bad situation less bad. Then again, maybe not; you pays your money, and you takes your chances. But there are a fair number of times in life where doing something constructive right now is a lot better than doing the perfect thing days later.
It's not as bad as I make it sound. A close friend of Kristy's (on blood thinners, I believe, for other conditions) called her while we were making supper. He'd been bleeding from a cut on his shin for a couple hours without clotting and needed to get to the emergency room.
We picked him up, got him there, and stood by while he told us jokes and funny stories for an hour or so as the doctor and nurses patched him, cleaned him up, and started in on some tests. All in all, this was a very successful trip to the emergency room. I made some mistakes, but no one died. For your benefit, here are a few mistakes not to make.
1. When removing items from the back seat to make room for the patient, don't remove the bag containing your major first-aid kit.
2. Find out how badly the patient is bleeding and how much blood he's lost before putting him in the car.
3. Even though you left the major first-aid kit behind, don't forget about the QuickClot bandage in your carry-bag. Sure, you might carry it to deal with knife, bullet, shrapnel, or other accident related trauma type injuries, but it'll probably help the patient with a popped vericose vein structure and thin blood just as well--but only if you remember you have it. Remember, review your kits often or they will be of little use when you are under pressure.
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* Yes, I have permission to post this, and name him, silly.
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