Jump to content

Leaderboard

Popular Content

Showing content with the highest reputation on 03/05/2012 in all areas

  1. Well it's been 6 days since Timmy was flown to Strong. The surgery went very well. He is talking and joking around and playing on his laptop. Status updates are coming from him directly now. He has to have another angio done on Thursday and if it looks good he can come back to the area (not home) on Friday. Some memories are still foggy but there are no physical deficits. Happy news )
    2 points
  2. Was Jeff Clark your instructor? I guess that makes me a Pepe Hernandez EMT. Kinda looses it's luster ...
    1 point
  3. I understand the dangers of appropriate use or abuse of antibiotics. I used to live in a country where you could get antibiotics over the counter without an Rx. That said I don't find the use of antibiotics to be all that complicated. What is more complicated is being able to prescribe without having the luxury of cultures and antibiotic susceptibility testing. Rural medics and Doctors have to have some crazy good clinical skills and a huge knowledge base. By observing rural Drs i have found that they are familiar with what is going around in their area and Rx accordingly. I also see them take "stabs in the dark". Most of the time their educated, well informed guess is correct. All we really have to do is to be self motivated to study the material. If we can do it in college that is even better. I would start with a good microbiology class and move on from there. You Rural guys play lIke you are not "the bomb". Your humility is appreciated although I tend to disagree.
    1 point
  4. Kiwi I think that we have found something that we agree on as far antibiotics being used wrongly, however I think that starts in the Doctors office. Now my disclaimer: I am not a doctor, nor do I claim to know more than a doctor, with that being said.....I am not sure what it is like in NZ, but in the US if a patient wants an antibiotic and the Doctor disagrees, then the patient just goes to the next Doctor until they get what they want. So what happens is business gets in the way of good medical decisions. They don't want to loose their patients, because that hits them in the pocket book in private practice. One of my biggest hang-ups doing these RM gigs is when an antibiotic is given for the "because I can" with no other medically nec. explanation available. I often try to explain this to my Mongolian Doctors, if you give a medication be sure to document your findings in your chart that would suggest the need for the medication. This is especially true for antibiotics. My concerns come from two angles, first and foremost the patient care. I don't want a patient to receive a medication (i.e. antibiotics) for something that will resolve itself with OTC's in a few days, or that needs to take its course. Well a distant second is that supplies are a continous problem here where I am at, and that presents its own problems. I also have a short coming when it comes to what anibiotic to give for what, that is why before I do I consult a PDR or hell even the internet. That way I have some basis for my decision. Now I will say this I have been lucky enough to have done this job with some pretty good guidlines, that says if you see this give this and expect that (call it cookie cutter medicine if you will). However, I still try to look up information so that I can educate myself maybe on a particular case. Maybe the next time I encounter such a case I can pull that out of the memory bank, the next time I encounter a similar case. MongoMedic
    1 point
×
×
  • Create New...