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Can't Live Without Supplies/Equipment
The thread that Eagle closed (for appropriate reasons IMHO) on medication administration is closely followed by supplies and equipment that people will carry that is potentially out of their scope of practice or command (approved to carry).
I have seen both civilian and military medical personel carrying "far fetched" stuff......can you crack a chest in the field, if you shouldn't/can't, then don't carry the equipment to do it.
The medical powers that be in both the military and less so in the civilian EMS world, have usually been there done that and have planned with those that are deployed to create an equipment list that is practical and appropriate to the level of skill a provider has to maintain efficiency and safety for those they care for. Yes, I have worked with 18D's, PJ's, SEALS who are "advanced" medical providers and can somewhat decide what they will need, mission specific, but they are usually the exception and not the rule.....for a damn good reason. Primum non nocere....first do no harm is a reality and guide that should and must be adhered to. I am a trauma surgeon, I can do practically anything in a hospital but am significantly limited in the field....so I don't carry non-mission essential equipment when deployed as a tactical medic/doc.
Bottom line is stay with what you are trained and authorized to use in the field, improvise when necessary but don't do things that could cause harm by your "good intentions"...........
ss
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'Revel in action, translate perceptions into instant judgements, and these into actions that are irrevocable, monumentous and dreadful - all this with lightning speed, in conditions of great stress and in an environment of high tension:what is expected of "us" is the impossible, yet we deliver just that.
(adapted from: Sherwin B. Nuland, MD, surgeon and author: The Wisdom of the Body, 1997 )
Education is the anti-ignorance we all need to better treat our patients. ss, 2008.
The blade is so sharp that the incision is perfect. They don't realize they've been cut until they're out of the fight: A Surgeon Warrior. I use a knife to defend life and to save it. ss (aka traumadoc)
Last edited by swatsurgeon; 11-28-2008 at 19:59.
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