Are You Assisting in Innoculations ?

[tniuqs]

Protocols & pharmacologies were written.

Phil

Are those copy right protected ? Just putting more rounds in the (proverbial) magazine is all.

cheers and thanks oh roo breath.

AND for any others out there PLEASE I beg of you VOTE in the poll, 5 votes just ain't going to help me if I cash in my air miles and go to Ottawa.

Edited October 31, 2009 by tniuqs

[FireMedic65]

As far as I know, there are no shortages of nurses to give the inoculations. Paramedics are allowed to give them here in PA also if there is an MD present.

As for who should get them, I think everyone who NEEDS one and wants it, should. All ACTIVE health care providers should be required to get them. If you are around patients all day, you are more likely to get sick. The outbreak puts you in more of a position where you are exposed. You get it, and now all your patients you see later can get it.

just my thoughts

[island emt]

Here in Maine, USA

we have a governors proclamation that essentially makes all EMT-I's & EMTP's govt employees in regards to giving inoculations to the public. The state EMS office developed a specialized 4 hour training course to deal with influenza/h1n1 vaccines. We are able to go to clinics set up by public health agencies and local hospitals and to go to the schools and assist getting the masses vaccinated if needed. The H1N1 vaccines are just starting to arrive at this time so we will see what happens and how often we are tasked to staff public clinics.

[Richard B the EMT]

If they can put it into an Epi-pen style auto-injector, EMT-Bs in the FDNY EMS can do it, as we've been trained to use the injectors in the WMD kits.

I am supposed to be on Major Incident Response Vehicle (MIRV) 2, doing data entry for this year's BioPOD (BIOlogical Point Of Distribution) drill, on Thursday through Sunday, when the H1N1 vaccine is supposed to be distributed to any and all FDNY Uniformed personnel who want it.

Location and availability is subject to change.

[DwayneEMTP]

We had a meeting with a state rep and our local hospital a few months back.

In Colorado EMT-Paramedics are able to help with vaccinations, and it's my understanding that it's not only in the emergency setting, but any time additional resources would be useful.

I do not believe that this is the case at the EMT-Basic level.

I have not confirmed this, but am confident that this is how it was explained at the Emergency Planning Meeting.

Dwayne

[kevkei]

If they can put it into an Epi-pen style auto-injector, EMT-Bs in the FDNY EMS can do it, as we've been trained to use the injectors in the WMD kits.

I am supposed to be on Major Incident Response Vehicle (MIRV) 2, doing data entry for this year's BioPOD (BIOlogical Point Of Distribution) drill, on Thursday through Sunday, when the H1N1 vaccine is supposed to be distributed to any and all FDNY Uniformed personnel who want it.

Location and availability is subject to change.

How can you say this? Is it based on standards and scope of practice? If that were the case you could put anything into an "Epi-pen" style autoinjector, where would you draw the line. The autoinjectors used in WMD (generally nerve agents only - Atropine and 2PAM) are 1 1/2 inches long and are 18 gague needles, not remotely similar to an epi-pen (1/2-3/4" and 22-24 gague). I think these are nothing but blue sky statements.

As I stated in a previous post: Well, first the H1N1 vaccine would have to be classified as a WMD. Then they would have to develop a transport medium that would be compatible with autoinjector use (nothing at all kike an epi-pen). The use of autoinjectors at a BLS level (from my understanding) is for self rescue only, not for the general public. Even if for the general public, generally the acceptance would be the benefit of use vs. non use and even then, limited to nerve agents. The better argument would be to have Cipro autoinjectors for anthrax exposure.

Have you ever seen an autoinjector used on a live model? The only exposure I have had is with an intoxicated swine model exposed to Sarin gas (nerve agent). It's not a pretty picture. Imagine using this to immunize the general public???? I'm sure a general order will be forthcoming!

[tniuqs]

Hey thanks guys and gals JUST to up the stakes ANYONE that bother to reply (And vote in the Poll) to this thread.

pro or con gets a positive reputation from me.

Phil, thanks for the PDF ... even though you need an improved mouthwash for that roo breath eeewww !

OH vs-eh ? put up yer dukes .... yeah chicken come back and debate me

cheers

Kevkie: good points:

this released Oct 31

http://www.edmontonsun.com/news/swineflu.

An Albertan has become only the second Canadian to fall ill with a drug-resistant strain of H1N1, say Alberta Health Services officials."This is not an unexpected event," said Dr. Gerry Predy, the senior medical officer of health for Alberta Health Services. "It's not anything people should be alarmed about," said Predy, who admitted there could be more cases in the future. He told a news conference only sketchy details about the patient's case, saying it was an Alberta woman who was being treated last month for H1N1 with oseltamivir, commonly known as Tamiflu."This is significant because (the drug) is the medication that is most commonly used to treat influenza around the world," said Predy."Any resistance to medication is important because it could possibly lead to further cases of resistant disease and potentially impact how a disease spreads.

"However, this local discovery does not change our course of planning for pandemic (H1N1) 2009 or the treatment of patients with seasonal or pandemic influenza."Officials discovered the case after sending a sample to the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg. It confirmed the sample was oseltamivir-resistant.The woman was never sent to hospital and has recovered.The first such case was discovered in Quebec.Predy said the best advice on staying healthy from any strain of the flu is to wash your hands and avoid contact with anyone infected with the virus.

Yea Im not alarmed that already a resistant drug to treat has been to be found to be resistant at all

[FireMedic65]

If they can put it into an Epi-pen style auto-injector, EMT-Bs in the FDNY EMS can do it, as we've been trained to use the injectors in the WMD kits.

I am supposed to be on Major Incident Response Vehicle (MIRV) 2, doing data entry for this year's BioPOD (BIOlogical Point Of Distribution) drill, on Thursday through Sunday, when the H1N1 vaccine is supposed to be distributed to any and all FDNY Uniformed personnel who want it.

Location and availability is subject to change.

I don't really think it is a matter of how the medication is given. It is the medication itself. What you are saying is, pretty much if you put a drug into an epi-pen type of vessel, a basic can give it. That being said, morphine comes in auto injectors. Can a basic give morphine?

This is why there are drug/med restrictions for different level of providers. If there is an MD, RN, or even specially trained Medic available in the facility, I don't have a problem at all really with ANYONE giving the inoculations. Given, these people are trained on how to do it.

Since the inoculations are available in snort form, have at it!

[tskstorm]

I don't really think it is a matter of how the medication is given. It is the medication itself. What you are saying is, pretty much if you put a drug into an epi-pen type of vessel, a basic can give it. That being said, morphine comes in auto injectors. Can a basic give morphine?

This is why there are drug/med restrictions for different level of providers. If there is an MD, RN, or even specially trained Medic available in the facility, I don't have a problem at all really with ANYONE giving the inoculations. Given, these people are trained on how to do it.

Since the inoculations are available in snort form, have at it!

I think he meant it more in the way that EMT-B's do not do drug math, and are not trained in any sort of injection other then auto-injector. If we are giving mass inoculations to the public does anyone really know the pharmacology behind the drug? Or anything about it ? I would be giving it as blindly as an EMT-B with an auto-injector ...

[FireMedic65]

I think he meant it more in the way that EMT-B's do not do drug math, and are not trained in any sort of injection other then auto-injector. If we are giving mass inoculations to the public does anyone really know the pharmacology behind the drug? Or anything about it ? I would be giving it as blindly as an EMT-B with an auto-injector ...

You should always know what you are giving to any patient and a good understanding of how it works.

But in a case like this, do you really need THAT many people giving inoculations?