Risk Management: Refusals & Abandonment (v2)

Course overview

As an EMS provider your job is to care for the sick and injured. This is your duty to act. The scope and depth of these responsibilities are defined within your state or local protocols. Each state has different laws that define your scope of practice and the standard of care. These may be further defined by your medical director and included in your standing orders or SOPs. It is important that you understand your duty to act and the limitations of your responsibilities. You must never put yourself in harms way or provide care or rescue that is outside your level of training. You must also understand a patients right of autonomy, how to obtain consent, and how to get a good refusal. Documentation is key to avoiding litigation. Document thoroughly. Excellent patient care, within your scope of practice will further protect you from a claim of negligence. Burns are more than simple injuries to the skin they are very complex emergencies that require specialized knowledge and unique interventions. In addition to damaging the structure of the skin and its functions, burn injuries can dramatically affect other body systems. Temperature regulation fluid and chemical balance and circulatory and respiratory functions are all at risk. Burns also cause emotional and psychological problems that could last a lifetime.