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.