Pre-Hospital Care; Recognizing the Injury, Accessing Care
Brain Injury management starts with Emergency Service Providers (Nurses, Doctors, Paramedics, EMT’s, First Aid Volunteers). The goal of care is to recognize, treat and transport the brain injured patient by the most appropriate method (ground, lights and sirens, air ambulance). EMS provider responsibilities include;
You’ve got chills — they’re multiplying. It’s 3 a.m. and you’ve been tossing and turning for hours. An extra blanket could put the shivers to rest, but where’s the nurse? And the chorus of snores from the next bed is competing with the attention-seeking rumble from your hungry stomach. Aren’t hospitals supposed to be places of rest and recovery? Fear and uncertainty can amp up your stress levels and ruin your stay, but don’t let them run the show. Our hospital insiders give you the behind-the-scenes scoop on how you can feel more comfortable and in control.
Two years ago, at a conference in Atlanta, a woman from Jamaica excitedly approached me when she learned that my company provided experts for medical malpractice cases. She had been searching for resources to help in her efforts to support victims of medical malpractice in her home country. She shared multiple stories of negligence that were almost unimaginable and confided that although many Jamaican doctors were educated to North American standards, their underfunded, undersupplied and poorly managed public health-care system was struggling greatly, leaving too many patients injured as a result. There was little recourse for injured patients and minimal accountability for health-care providers.
When your case involves future costs of care, you need an expert to accurately assess your clients’ needs who understands the full spectrum and interplay of medical diagnoses, treatments, medications and client goals. Connect Experts has the perfect expert for this role; Nurse Life Care Planners.
This white paper is the third of three parts on the complex functions of brain, what happens when an injury is acquired and how to care for and manage a life-changing brain injury.
BY LINDA SIMMONS, RN BScN
Consultant and Cost of Future Care Expert, Connect Medical Legal Experts
The prehospital care of a patient with a brain injury has a profound impact on the subsequent course of events and outcomes. Prehospital management refers to the initial resuscitation and interventions that stabilize the patient at the scene of the accident and on route to the hospital. Prehospital management requires timely and effective brain resuscitation, as the brain only has minimal reserves to meet ongoing metabolic needs. If resuscitation is insufficient because of reduced cerebral blood flow (CBF) and decreased oxygen delivery, ischemia and hypoxia develop and can lead to secondary brain injury.
The recent court case, Ghiassi (Litigation guardian of) v. Singh 2017 ONSC 6541 focused on a rare, but serious complication..