Post by Velar Fricative on Mar 4, 2013 18:19:13 GMT -5
I was really disturbed listening to that call. It's like the 911 operator and caller reversed roles because it was the 911 operator who got pretty emotional, not the caller.
If the policy is due to liability issues, it's sad that there is a fear of being sued because you tried to save someone's life. I know it's more complicated than that and there are GS laws, but still.
Yeah, I'm also assuming this person isn't a nurse, so I'm thinking about it from a lay perspective. In the lay CPR classes I've done, I'm pretty sure they emphasize no pulse AND no breathing because a pulse can be difficult to detect, especially in the elderly. Agonal respirs can look like regular breathing, just far less frequent. But, then wouldn't the "nurse" tell dispatch she wasn't going to do CPR because she resident was breathing? So I'm back to thinking it really is policy. My only consistent thought has been how awful the reporting is
Do you guys listen to radiolab? They had a short on how medical providers view end of life care vs everyone else. It was fascinating. Actually, it's what I thought about first when I read the story yesterday because I was thinking I wouldn't want CPR if I collapsed like this woman, not that my wants bear any relation to this case.
Again.......you do NOT have to be a nurse to be trained in healthcare-provider level CPR. Non-nurse does NOT = layperson.
I am a radiologic technologist by training, have over 10 years on cardiac cath/electrophysiology and now have certification as an electrophysiology specialist. I've has BLS and ACLS certification the whole time. The CPR courses I take for recert every year are the same ones taken by nurses, PHYSICIANS, respiratory therapists, nursing assistants, patient care techs, etc. It's CPR for healthcare professionals.
Nurse or not, chances are her job in clinical in some way. That mean she'd have the same damn CPR training as any nurse.
My mom lived in an assisted living facility and the policy was much the same as the one being touted by the place where this lady lived. There were nurses on staff from 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM. However, they weren't allows to treat patients. During an emergency, they called 911. However, I think they had the good sense to perform any needed medical intervention while waiting for the EMTs. If residents needed the care of nurses or physical therapists, there was a staff of visiting nurses/PTs. You had to have a doctors prescription to get them to do a care plan and treat. This was for stuff like post-surgery wound care and the like. The assisted living facility required the residents have some level of independence. Residents were required to take their own pills. The care givers could not put pills in the mouth of a patient. Care givers were not allowed to help put patches on residents. This could get tricky for patients who had patches on their backs. Once, a care giver dropped her walkie talkie on to my mother's leg. It ripped open the skin and started to bleed. The assisted living place had to call 911 to have an EMT wrap and bandage her leg. The staff was not allowed to bandage.
My mom lived in an assisted living facility and the policy was much the same as the one being touted by the place where this lady lived. There were nurses on staff from 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM. However, they weren't allows to treat patients. During an emergency, they called 911.
Makes me wonder why I am paying a nurse when a high school student would due.
My mom lived in an assisted living facility and the policy was much the same as the one being touted by the place where this lady lived. There were nurses on staff from 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM. However, they weren't allows to treat patients. During an emergency, they called 911. However, I think they had the good sense to perform any needed medical intervention while waiting for the EMTs. If residents needed the care of nurses or physical therapists, there was a staff of visiting nurses/PTs. You had to have a doctors prescription to get them to do a care plan and treat. This was for stuff like post-surgery wound care and the like. The assisted living facility required the residents have some level of independence. Residents were required to take their own pills. The care givers could not put pills in the mouth of a patient. Care givers were not allowed to help put patches on residents. This could get tricky for patients who had patches on their backs. Once, a care giver dropped her walkie talkie on to my mother's leg. It ripped open the skin and started to bleed. The assisted living place had to call 911 to have an EMT wrap and bandage her leg. The staff was not allowed to bandage.
What is the point of having nurses on staff, then??
Why would you ever want your loved one to live in a place like this?
I don't understand why these policies exist. If she was bleeding, would they not try to stop it by applying pressure or just sit there and watch? The operator was not asking her to perform a major procedure, but something we teach tweens to do so they can babysit. Do I have to double check my daycare paperwork to make sure I didn't sign something that says they won't perform CPR on my kids?
This is just one more reason for me to hate all things independent/assisted/retirement/nursing home type living. They are fucking scams and only care about the high turnover rates.