Deadly Oversights: 48 Critical Errors First Responders Urge EMTs and Civilians to Avoid
Not familiar with a patient’s condition? Don’t lie.
1. Putting the blood pressure cuff on incorrectly/ upside down/ crooked. Really easy to look over this when you’re a rookie. Having it on incorrectly can give a false read.
2. Treating for shock!!! Shocky patients needs oxygen, kept warm, and layed supine. Really basic but for some reason gets over looked even by vets.
3. Lung sounds. Get in the habit of checking lung sounds on every patient. Even if the CC isn’t respiratory I think it’s important part of a BLS / ILS general assessment.
Also always reassess BGL after FD passes over care.
Not knowing where equipment is kept. You should know where everything is and if you don’t ask.
New people tend to leave their phone in the ambulance while on scene during a call and the thieves steal it.
Letting PD walk all over you. I don’t care if they called us just to CYA themselves, if they call somebody a patient, I am going to treat them like a patient until I clear. Not sure if it is just a local problem too, but oftentimes they are fairly lazy here when is comes to checking the psych patients of weapons. Once went to a call for a Pt completing of homicidal ideation wearing cargo pants where PD arrived first and said the scene was safe. They were ready to clear up when we arrived until I asked them to check his pockets, which contained 2 knives and a lighter.
Edit: Forgot the to include the issues of them telling us to draw up katamine before we even made contact. Never did, because usually it turns out the patient cooperates with us just fine, but was pissed off at PD for their usual antics.
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