Ritz Carlton Patient Satisfaction in EMS — Making it a Fond Farewell [Carolina Fire Rescue EMS Journal]

Peter Antevy, MD — It’s two p.m. on a Sunday afternoon and you and your crew find yourself searching for an address in a beaten up mobile home park. A 75-year-old female is living alone and suffers a fall and likely has a broken hip. The neighbors wave you down as your vehicle finds its way through the crowded streets. The woman’s name is Ms. Jones and she is clearly in a significant amount of pain. Her morphine dose is ready to be given, yet her skin is so brittle and her veins so flat that multiple attempts at an IV fail. She screams in pain each time the needle pierces her skin and she yells “20 out of 10” when you question her about how bad it hurts.

Your three-person crew gently rolls her onto the long board after administering the narcotic into her left thigh. The neighbors watch in horror, as Ms. Jones’ screams seem louder than the sirens coming from your vehicle as it pulls out of the community. En route to the emergency department, Ms. Jones asks if someone closed her front door so that the cat would not escape. The silence following her question brings her to tears and her despair peaks as she is rolled into a frigid emergency department, the bright lights glaring into her eyes. The transfer is made to the hospital gurney just as Ms. Jones’ son walks into the room. His eyes quickly search for the person who can answer the questions about his mother. Nurses fill the room and a white coat walks in as your EMS crew gently backs out of the chaos and quickly heads toward the ambulance bay to the quiet calm of the rescue vehicle. Three days later you are summoned into the chief’s office and asked to explain a complaint letter written by a prominent local attorney, Ms. Jones’ son…

Read Full Article