In EMS care helicopters are frequently misused. Is air transport the right alternative for your patient or not.

Logical reasons to call for California air ambulance services

Use ‘F-A-L-T-E-R’ acronym as tool to bear in mind the vital considerations before calling aero medical services.

F – Fear

• Fear is not the reason for calling air transport.
• Helicopter may be your panic button because you don’t feel sufficient to handle the patient.
• Don’t be scared, bring additional help in case you feel the need and get moving.

A – Access

• Is the scene convenient for helicopter access?
• Dicey landing zones and bad weather make helicopter option to be high risk endeavors.
• It is better not to waste hours in trying to move patient to acceptable landing site but head for the hospital.

L – Lazy

• Laziness needs honest gut-check, especially when you are working with EMS care.
• For example, if the hospital is one-hour drive and your shift changes in half an hour, helicopter is a good alternative.
• Helicopter option allows dodging time and emergency transport task.
• Sometimes, standard documentation process also gets eliminated if the patient is handed to local air crew.
• Personal soul searching is crucial if you are trying to saddle a patient with extra transport bill rather than loading the patient and driving towards the hospital.

T – Time

• Severe trauma, myocardial infarction, and strokes may benefit from decreased transport time.
• Stable patients with injuries looking scary, minor injuries, and diabetic problems are not considered as emergency situations nor need rapid transport.
• Evaluate if the patient needs rapid transport before calling air medical services.

E – Extrication

• If patient meets rapid transport requirements but transport may be delayed then consider helicopter services.

R – Real

• Consider the real-time needed for helicopter transport.

Learning about real reduction transport time is crucial to consider.