Medical Legal Implications When Providing Emergency Care on a Commercial Flight

2021 ◽  
Vol 92 (7) ◽  
pp. 588-592
Author(s):  
Pascal J. de Caprariis ◽  
Ann Di Maio
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Care ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Medical Emergency ◽  
Medical Documentation ◽  
Legal Assistance ◽  
Good Samaritan ◽  
Legal Implications ◽  
Malpractice Insurance ◽  
Commercial Flight ◽  
Airline Crews

INTRODUCTION: U.S. airlines often request a healthcare professional to volunteer to assist an ill passenger. Litigation from a Good Samaritans care of an in-flight medical emergency (IME) is considered improbable. The 1998 Aviation Medical Assistance Act (AMAA) encourages health care professionals to volunteer with indemnity for standard and good medical care. It does not offer legal or financial assistance. Our review explored the legal support malpractice companies and U.S. airlines provide if litigation is initiated for IME care. Malpractice insurance policies can differ on IME coverage. We found most private practice physicians policies include IME. Medical institutions may have policies restricting their physicians coverage to the institutions location. Those without malpractice coverage will need to retain and pay for a legal defense to demonstrate no gross negligence and no willful misconduct. The physicians, airline crews, and on-ground IME documentation support should be retained by the Good Samaritan especially for a pediatric or adolescent ill passenger. U.S. airlines consider a Good Samaritan medical volunteer as a passenger and do not extend legal assistance. This contrasts with some foreign airlines that do provide liability protection. Knowledge of the malpractice policy IME coverage is essential prior to traveling by air. After completing care for an ill passenger, physicians should generate their medical documentation and request the IME documentation generated by the airline and on-ground medical expert. We also believe U.S. airlines should assume responsibility to provide legal assistance to a Good Samaritan physician in the event of IME litigation.de Caprariis PJ, Di Maio A. Medical legal implications when providing emergency care on a commercial flight. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2021; 92(7):588592.

scholarly journals Evaluating the Management Information System of Integrated Medical Emergency Care in Batang Regency, Indonesia

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (07) ◽  
pp. 75
Author(s):  
Wahyu Sulistiadi ◽  
Siti Nurhidayah ◽  
Al Asyary
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Emergency Care ◽  
Traffic Accidents ◽  
Emergency Services ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Medical Emergency ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
Central Java

An emergency can happen anywhere and anytime, especially in developing countries with a high potential for emergencies, such as Eastern European countries as well as Indonesia. This study aimed to find out the quality of PSC 119 Si Slamet as a prehospital emergency service innovation. The data collection in this study was carried out in a location, namely, Batang Regency, Indonesia, in May–June 2018. The qualitative data collection methods used in this study are in-depth interviews and document reviews. This study was using Service Quality (Servqual) questionnaire. The results show that PSC 119 Si Slamet provides easy access to emergency services to the community 24 hours a day and 7 days a week by simply calling 119 numbers, sending messages via SMS and WhatsApp, or using the Android-based application, with a maximum response time target of 10 minutes. Batang is one of the regencies (rural area) in Central Java province, located on the main coastline, with a hilly geographic condition with many derivatives, climbs, and sharp curves, which is one of the causes of the high number of traffic accidents in the area. This emergency care information systems, with Android-based application, was aimed at improving the quality of services in the health sector, especially emergency services. This service is of good quality as seen from the tangible, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy dimensions. However, in the implementation, the socialization aspect is not the best to some people. The recommendation given was the need to increase the PSC 119 socialization of Si Slamet not only regionally but also internationally to be massive, especially in developing countries.

scholarly journals Regional Legal Assistance

Rechtsidee ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Abdul Fatah
Keyword(s):  
Public Awareness ◽  
Access To Justice ◽  
Legal Assistance ◽  
Legal Counsel ◽  
Legal Aid ◽  
Equitable Distribution ◽  
Legal Implications ◽  
The Law ◽  
The Right ◽  
Aid Policy

Legal aid policy in the area carried out on several considerations including: Implementation of the authority given to the legal aid act, granting the guarantee and protection of access to justice and equality before the law in the area, equitable distribution of justice and increase public awareness and understanding of the law, and legal implications that accompanied the emergence of the right to legal counsel without pay and the right to choose the legal settlement. How To Cite Fatah, A. (2015). Regional Legal Assistance. Rechtsidee, 2(1), 1-10. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.21070/jihr.v2i1.7

Impact of shift duration on alertness among air-medical emergency care clinician shift workers

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 325-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Daniel Patterson ◽  
Matthew D. Weaver ◽  
Mark A. Markosyan ◽  
Charity G. Moore ◽  
Frank X. Guyette ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Care ◽  
Medical Emergency ◽  
Shift Workers

scholarly journals In-Flight Hypoxemia in a Tracheostomy-Dependent Infant

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Jason Quevreaux ◽  
Christopher Cropsey
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Barometric Pressure ◽  
Federal Aviation Administration ◽  
Anesthesia Resident ◽  
Cardiac Pathology ◽  
Mechanically Ventilated ◽  
Good Samaritan ◽  
Medical Supplies ◽  
Commercial Flight

Millions of passengers board commercial flights every year. Healthcare providers are often called upon to treat other passengers during in-flight emergencies. The case presented involves an anesthesia resident treating a tracheostomy-dependent infant who developed hypoxemia on a domestic flight. The patient had an underlying congenital muscular disorder and was mechanically ventilated while at altitude. Although pressurized, cabin barometric pressure while at altitude is less than at sea level. Due to this environment patients with underlying pulmonary or cardiac pathology might not be able to tolerate commercial flight. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has mandated a specific set of medical supplies be present on all domestic flights in addition to legislature protecting “Good Samaritan” providers.

scholarly journals Medical Emergency Education Using Emergency Care Simulators in the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences

2008 ◽  
Vol 128 (7) ◽  
pp. 1045-1055 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin TOKUNAGA ◽  
Norito TAKAMURA ◽  
Kenji OGATA ◽  
Hiroki YOSHIDA ◽  
Kazuhiro TOTORIBE ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Care ◽  
Medical Emergency ◽  
Pharmaceutical Sciences ◽  
Emergency Education

scholarly journals Adapting the Advanced Cardiac Life Support for the Experienced Provider (ACLS-EP) course for emergency care education in Rwanda

2011 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
William E. Cayley Jr
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Emergency Care ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Life Support ◽  
Advanced Cardiac Life Support ◽  
Training Programme ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Care Education ◽  
African Setting ◽  
Case Based

The Advanced Cardiac Life Support for the Experienced Provider (ACLS-EP) course uses a case-based curriculum to teach emergency resuscitation principles to experienced health care professionals. This article describes the adaptation of the ACLS-EP curriculum to be used in a family medicine training programme in Rwanda, including lessons learned and recommendations for future use of this material for emergency care education in the African setting.

scholarly journals Addressing Suicide Risk According to Different Healthcare Professionals in Spain: A Qualitative Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 2117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan-Luis Muñoz-Sánchez ◽  
María Sánchez-Gómez ◽  
María Martín-Cilleros ◽  
Esther Parra-Vidales ◽  
Diego de Leo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Suicidal Behavior ◽  
Emergency Care ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Primary Care Physicians ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Main Concern ◽  
Patients At Risk

This study analyzes the views of four groups of healthcare professionals who may play a role in the management of suicidal behavior. The goal was to identify key factors for suicide prevention in different areas of the healthcare system. Qualitative research was conducted using focus groups made up of different healthcare professionals who participated in the identification, management, and prevention of suicidal behavior. Professionals included were primary care physicians, psychologists, psychiatrists, and emergency physicians. ‘Suicide’ was amongst the most relevant terms that came up in discussions most of the times it appeared associated with words such as ‘risk’, danger’, or ‘harm’. In the analysis by categories, the four groups of professionals agreed that interventions in at-risk behaviors are first in importance. Prevention was the second main concern with greater significance among psychiatrists. Primary care professionals call for more time to address patients at risk for suicide and easier access to and communication with the mental health network. Emergency care professionals have a lack of awareness of their role in the detection of risk for suicide in patients who seek attention at emergency care facilities for reasons of general somatic issues. Mental health care professionals are in high demand in cases of self-harm, but they would like to receive specific training in dealing with suicidal behavior.

scholarly journals Paramedics' experiences of financial medicine practices in the pre-hospital environment. A pilot study

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 103-109
Author(s):  
Craig Vincent-Lambert ◽  
Richard-Kyle Jackson
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
South African ◽  
Emergency Care ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Hospital Environment ◽  
Patient Treatment ◽  
Unethical Conduct

Background: The term “financial medicine” refers to the delivery of health-related services where the generation of financial gain or “profit” takes precedence over the provision of care that is reflective of evidence-based best practice. The practicing of financial medicine includes over-servicing and overbilling, both of which have led to a sharp rise in the cost of health care and medical insurance in South Africa. For this reason, the practicing of financial medicine has been widely condemned both internationally and locally by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) and allied Professional bodies.Objectives: This qualitative pilot study explored and described the experiences of South African Paramedics with regard to the practicing of financial medicine in the local pre-hospital emergency care environment.Method: A sample of South African Paramedics were interviewed either face-to-face or telephonically. The interviews were audio recorded and transcripts produced. Content analysis was conducted to explore, document and describe the participants' experiences with regard to financial medicine practices in the local pre-hospital environment.Results: It emerged that all of the participants had experienced a number of financial medicine practices and associated unethical conduct. Examples included Over-servicing, Selective Patient Treatment, Fraudulent Billing Practices, Eliciting of kickbacks, incentives or benefits and Deliberate Time Wasting.Conclusion: The results of this study are concerning as the actions of service providers described by the participants constitute gross violations of the ethical and professional guidelines for health care professionals. The authors recommend additional studies be conducted to further explore these findings and to establish the reasons for, and ways of, limiting financial medicine practices in the South African emergency care environment.

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