So this video popped up in my feed this morning.
It is from Brevard County, Florida, and show Brevard County Firefighter/Paramedic Kenneth Hallenbeck clearly forcibly removing a patient from his cot onto the floor of what appears to be the triage station of a local hospital back in February of 2015.
Go have a look and come back.
Firefighter/Paramedic Hallenbeck was fired for this action and charged with elder abuse. I've seen worse in most nursing homes, but we'll skip that elephant.
Let's break down what isn't in the video to try to keep this scene from repeating itself.
First let me begin by saying I have wanted to do this multiple times. We all have. A patient calls with a non-complaint complaint, qualifies for triage and when they arrive suddenly believe that they deserve immediate treatment in the ED. They rant and rave about not wanting to be left in triage to wait, "That's why I called 911!" then refuse to get off the cot. Often their arms are crossed and they're shaking their head like a 3 year old.
That being said, I've never had to flip anyone off my cot. Forcibly lift, yes. Flip off the cot, no.
After the patient in the video falls to the ground he is seen standing, waving, pointing, wrapping a blanket around himself and doing so without wavering or needing a cane or something to lean on. I'm not saying the fall didn't hurt him, but if he was able to stand and walk BEFORE getting to the ED, did he really need the ambulance?
Remember, we're playing the "What if" game here.
Let's apply the logic used when Police Officers use excessive force and it is caught on camera:
1) Was Firefighter/Paramedic Hallenbeck in fear for his life? Was the patient reaching for a weapon?
2) Was Firefighter/Paramedic Hallenbeck at the end of a particularly troubling shift, making him emotionally unstable?
3) Was the patient following Firefighter/Paramedic Hallenbeck's instructions to rise from the cot and take a seat in the nearby wheelchair?
"But Justin, it shouldn't matter what kind of shift he was having, patient care comes first." You're right, but what happened is not the problem, but I would argue a symptom of a larger problem coming to a boil:
EMS Abuse.
I'm not talking about the "It's not our definition of Emergency, Justin, it's theirs!" folks unclear on the concept, but why did Firefighter/Paramedic Hallenbeck feel the need to forcibly remove an ambulatory patient from a cot?
Why was the patient on the cot in the first place? Outdated urban legends about walking patients and being sued.
Why was the ambulance transporting the patient? Outdated urban legends about abandonment and a lack of options other than an ED.
Why was an ALS 2 person reclined cot ambulance dispatched? Lack of creativity of the local transporting agency and legislators.
Why did the patient call 911? Take your pick.
What conditions are not being treated by the patient's medical insurance company that caused the patient to believe calling 911 was a solution? Again, take your pick.
These are all speculations. The articles on this story mention the patient is on hospice and none of my questions may apply.
But think about it. If Firefighter/Paramedic Hallenbeck had the resources to get this patient what they needed instead of a trip to the Emergency Room would any of this ever happened?
What he did was wrong. But that doesn't get the patient or the system off the hook for setting this Medic up to loose his cool.
It is from Brevard County, Florida, and show Brevard County Firefighter/Paramedic Kenneth Hallenbeck clearly forcibly removing a patient from his cot onto the floor of what appears to be the triage station of a local hospital back in February of 2015.
Go have a look and come back.
Firefighter/Paramedic Hallenbeck was fired for this action and charged with elder abuse. I've seen worse in most nursing homes, but we'll skip that elephant.
Let's break down what isn't in the video to try to keep this scene from repeating itself.
First let me begin by saying I have wanted to do this multiple times. We all have. A patient calls with a non-complaint complaint, qualifies for triage and when they arrive suddenly believe that they deserve immediate treatment in the ED. They rant and rave about not wanting to be left in triage to wait, "That's why I called 911!" then refuse to get off the cot. Often their arms are crossed and they're shaking their head like a 3 year old.
That being said, I've never had to flip anyone off my cot. Forcibly lift, yes. Flip off the cot, no.
After the patient in the video falls to the ground he is seen standing, waving, pointing, wrapping a blanket around himself and doing so without wavering or needing a cane or something to lean on. I'm not saying the fall didn't hurt him, but if he was able to stand and walk BEFORE getting to the ED, did he really need the ambulance?
Remember, we're playing the "What if" game here.
Let's apply the logic used when Police Officers use excessive force and it is caught on camera:
1) Was Firefighter/Paramedic Hallenbeck in fear for his life? Was the patient reaching for a weapon?
2) Was Firefighter/Paramedic Hallenbeck at the end of a particularly troubling shift, making him emotionally unstable?
3) Was the patient following Firefighter/Paramedic Hallenbeck's instructions to rise from the cot and take a seat in the nearby wheelchair?
"But Justin, it shouldn't matter what kind of shift he was having, patient care comes first." You're right, but what happened is not the problem, but I would argue a symptom of a larger problem coming to a boil:
EMS Abuse.
I'm not talking about the "It's not our definition of Emergency, Justin, it's theirs!" folks unclear on the concept, but why did Firefighter/Paramedic Hallenbeck feel the need to forcibly remove an ambulatory patient from a cot?
Why was the patient on the cot in the first place? Outdated urban legends about walking patients and being sued.
Why was the ambulance transporting the patient? Outdated urban legends about abandonment and a lack of options other than an ED.
Why was an ALS 2 person reclined cot ambulance dispatched? Lack of creativity of the local transporting agency and legislators.
Why did the patient call 911? Take your pick.
What conditions are not being treated by the patient's medical insurance company that caused the patient to believe calling 911 was a solution? Again, take your pick.
These are all speculations. The articles on this story mention the patient is on hospice and none of my questions may apply.
But think about it. If Firefighter/Paramedic Hallenbeck had the resources to get this patient what they needed instead of a trip to the Emergency Room would any of this ever happened?
What he did was wrong. But that doesn't get the patient or the system off the hook for setting this Medic up to loose his cool.
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