Help with possible malpractice?
I work at a very corrupt ambulance service as a paramedic. Many area drs from miles around have said they have never seen a company try so hard to hurt their employees rather than protect and support them. I went on a 911 call a few weeks ago where a man who was conscious and alert told me he had been weak all night, had denied any recent trauma, and had no complaints of pain. I had no reason to immobilize him, so I took him in (but I did start an IV). Well, after getting to the hospital, they found he had a T6 burst fracture with paralysis to his lower extremities, even though he had been moving all extremities fine for us. NOW, my corrupt bosses are saying my career is essentially "f**ked" in their words, and may lose my license. What can I do??
Answer:
I don't see any indication of corporate corruption in your question.
If the standard proceedure is to immobilize a client before transporting him, then shouldn't you have?
They obviously do not want you around. DO NOT quit.
That something your not talking about is the issue; the fact the guy was not mobilized is just something to use against you; however, remind them if your in triouble, so are they as your going to fight tooth and F**king nail against them.
The test in this case is "based on the information you had" what would another do with your training and experience"?
End of case.
I've worked near 20 years as a Police officer and can tell you, patients can tell you anything they want and you must go by what they say.
The guy is weak, conscious, alert times, 3-4 and talking, no pain complaint...
With that in mind, board him from the bed or ask him to walk to the Gurney; no collar needed, no bracing...
Your company is weak link; if they think your screwed, what does that make them? They PAY OUT in civil court if they cannot defend you.
Get representation fast and let them know yourn ready for a fight if they want one. Dont sit back and let them stratagize on how to keep their bacon out of the fire and sacrifice you.
Yipes! That patien must have not been being honest with you (that won't be the first time in EMS that the patient has lied to the paramedics).
If he had no hx of recent falls, trauma, and no other indications to spinally immobilize, I don't see any reason for you to have done so.
Was he elderly? Sometimes, as I'm sure you already know, elderly people don't have the same perception of pain that younger people do (they can be over sensitive to pain, or conversly, not feel it as much as a younger person would). It also doesn't take much for an elderly person to sustain a fracture (fall off the bed might do it for someone with osteoporosis).
Going by the information you presented, I see no need to apply spinal immobilization. Sounds like your bosses are hanging you out to dry, so to speak.
Did the patient try to sue, or is there a potential lawsuit pending? It's possible that the company had decided that it will cost less to replace a paramedic, then to defend you in court. I once dropped a patient (long story), and the patient claimed to have sustained a head injury (was complete bullpoop). My company went to bat for me even though there was a threat of a lawsuit. It all blew over, but that was not a day I'd like to repeat anytime soon.
It sucks that sometimes our patients wind up with injuries we couldn't anticipate. We obviously can't spinally immobilize everyone (that would do the average patient more damage than anything, with pressure sores and all, and would be medically and financially unsound), so we follow the protocols and our common sense to the best of our ability.
They can't take away your license unless you were negligent. If I were you, I'd request a copy of the run report (yay documentation) and hang on to it. That proves that you followed protocols since I'm sure you documented "pt states no recent trauma" or something similar.
How's your partner? He (or she) is your best witness as to what happened. If it comes down to some kind of lawsuit, your partner can verify that you followed protocol. You also might want to talk to the nurse that you tranferred care to since they can verify what the patient said to you and to them.
This is one instance where professional medical liability insurance would be a fantastic thing. That way, you'd have your own lawyer to prove your case.
If you can afford it, it might a good idea to consult with an attorney. Even a consultation session might help out a lot.
Basically, they can't take away your license unless they prove you were negligent. You are going to have to prove that you weren't, by good documentation, and your partner's (and any other onscene personnel's) testimony.
There's a good chance that this might all blow over, but just in case it doesn't, make sure you gather all the evidence you need to prove that you were not negligent.
If I were you, once this is resolved, find another job! (one where they won't treat the employees like crap). You also might look into professional liability insurance for paramedics.
I hope this helps...good luck.
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