Police: Paramedic Sexually Assaulted Patient

[spenac]

Don't forget all the recent articles about video conferencing ambulances, their medical control and/or ED.

I think the big old hippo gets thrown out there way to often. I would welcome it as a protection and a great way for QA/QI.

[VentMedic]

HIPAA has its purposes for the protection from release of PHI to the unintended . Even some PHI can still be used for research.

I work at a large teaching hospital. Many of the ED codes are video taped for teaching purposes. That is their intended use. Surgeries in our ORs have also been video taped for many years. Legislation is now being passed throughout the country to mandate video taping of all surgeries.

Throughout the hospital we do have little signs that inform people they are on camera. It is also in the fine print on their information packet. We have them sign HIPAA papers but it clearly states we will not release any PHI collected for any purposes other than who they designate or the intended person or purpose. It also states that their medical information will be part of our data base that can be used for demographics and research.

I'm sure you have HIPAA info release forms on your ambulance also. They should state "release of PHI only for intended purposes". This primarily has to do with billing, secure means of transferring data and data storage. Other privacy issues are dictated by state, local and company policies.

[Scaramedic]

It is important to note the full title, "Police: Paramedic Sexually Assaulted Patient." This is no different that any other time that any news outlet speaks of someone as if they are guilty but adds "accused" or "alleged" in many times. The police arrest people who they say committed a crime, after that it can be worked out in court. Does it look good for the profession? No. But is it someone targeting EMS to make us look bad? Probably not.

That is a trick the media plays, when I studied Journalism (it was my minor) we called it Yellow Journalism. A news agency using spectacular headlines to grab ones attention. William Randolph Hearst was notorious for this kind of trick. Many historians feel that Hearst was responsible for the Spanish American War due to his massive power in the newspaper industry and his brand of yellow journalism.

The police did not say he is guilty and he committed the crime, they can't. It is up to the District Attorney to file charges, the Grand Jury reviews the case, the suspect is arraigned, and the suspect has a trial. Only then can guilt be set by a jury of the suspects peers. In this case the news station is using the Police: blah, blah blah trick. I believe it is because it is a TV station and an online story they can get away with it. If the print media posted a headline like this there would be hell to pay in the editorial office.

P.S. William Randolph Hearst was the chief influence for the character Charles Foster Kane according to Orson Welles. He hated Hearst and his politics. It is rumored but has never been proven that Rosebud was Hearst's nickname for Marion Davies (his mistress) private parts.

[akflightmedic]

Interesting.

I just read the follow up story that had his picture posted as well.

The man is 63 years old and was investigated last summer for a similar complaint, however that was dropped due to lack of evidence.

Call me crazy but same Medic accused twice of same/similar assault in a short time frame, leads me to the conclusion (right or wrong), that there may be a very legitimate trend going on and the complaint may be valid.

One time out of the blue, or never been accused before..but same Medic, same assault...hmmmm.

[Scaramedic]

Yeah I mentioned that in another thread, I didn't find out until today about the second investigation. It kind of changes my attitude a bit also.

[akflightmedic]

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/i....xml&coll=7

He admitted to doing it and asked for help with his problem so he does not do it again.

Seems someone got caught with their hand in the cookie jar ( no pun intended)...

This is kind of like asking for help from your employer AFTER you fail the drug test, instead of prior to the test. Weak attempt at trying to reduce the severity of the incident on his part.

[Scaramedic]

I would like to thank Lannie for the bullsh*t we are going to have to put up with for the next six months. "My daughter is not riding in the back alone", "why are you doing that?." Yep it's going to be fun. Not to mention the harm you have done to the patients, your own family and your co-workers.

[EMS49393]

I performed a 12-lead on a female patient today. She was of advanced age, with a complaint of syncope, and left arm discomfort. The 12-lead was more than warranted, and something I would have never thought twice about doing. She was understanding of what I was doing, and I was careful to explain why I felt it was needed. I also took great care to explain every step of the process. I have always explained procedures, etc. to my patients. I've also always been very careful to protect privacy.

In the back of my mind, I had this story in my head. I was concerned, almost worried, and even more cautious about how I cared for this patients privacy. I felt this way despite being a female paramedic. I can only imagine how my male colleagues feel after this negative press.

I personally know a service that utilizes a type of video in the back of the ambulance. I don't believe there are actual recordings, however I do know that the images are sent to the receiving hospital. The idea behind that program was to enable the doctors to actually seeing the patient, how they are presenting, and what treatments the team are performing. They would be able to give better online medical control with this device. These were NOT emergency ambulances. They were inter-facility, hospital-based, critical care transport vehicles. They were used to transport patients from small, rural hospital ERs to the regional trauma center. I do not know how HIPAA plays a role in a program such as that. In my humble opinion, anything that ultimately benefits my patient is a good idea. I'm a patient advocate, and if that means letting an online physician actually SEE what I'm seeing, and be able to be a partner in my patient care prior to arrival at the ER, I'm not opposed to it. I'm not uncomfortable painting a visual for online medical control, but I often find physicians that are very reluctant to allow a consult drug or procedure be administered or performed by a paramedic. I haven't personally had this problem yet, but my career is still young.

[Dustdevil]

In the back of my mind, I had this story in my head. I was concerned, almost worried, and even more cautious about how I cared for this patients privacy. I felt this way despite being a female paramedic. I can only imagine how my male colleagues feel after this negative press.

If they're smart, they don't feel any different than ever. Patients can smell fear. They can see it in your eyes. They can hear it in your voice. If you are uptight, nervous, hesitant, or otherwise uncomfortable, they will be too. And that is what breeds distrust between a patient and the practitioner. This is a lesson that is best learned early in the career. Treat each and every patient with the same professional, matter of fact demeanour and it will go a long way towards establishing professional trust. But if you shift gears in front of a patient, obviously functioning in a way that is not your normal routine, you send off bad vibes that sabotage your relationship with your patient. Find a sound, standard routine and apply it to each and every patient, regardless of gender or situation, and stick with it.