Transporting patient possesions

[mikeymedic1984]

Your problem is not the wheelchair, but to answer your question, most fold-ups will fit in the side box door-well or at the end or side of stretcher, as others have mentioned you can use seat belts from the squad bench to secure. Ask your Director, Medical Director, and one of the local ER Doctors who has treated him to contact this patient's personal doctor (not a HIPPA problem, it is about his care and how his drug seeking behavior is hurting him). They can have him committed to a program, or at least make a plan to cut him off from getting drugs at any local ER (I imagine his personal physician has him on pain meds, and is unaware of his ER visits). He is probably not "using" the prescriptions for pain, but instead "selling" the drugs he gets from the pharmacy.

In my state, the Medical Director of an EMS agency has very broad powers. When we encountered this situation, he wrote a protocol that stated we could only transport these patients to the local ER (in county) and would only transport them once in a 24-hour period for issues related to "pain". Before everyone freaks out, we had 2 patients that would literally go to the ERs (shopping different ones) 3-4 times per week (every week), and would somehow find a way to get home (no public transportation in my area) and then call 911 again within a couple of hours of the first ER trip if they did not get the drugs they wanted. They had no issue requesting us to bypass several hospitals to go to ones that did not know them that were over 60 miles away. It was an issue of not tying up "911 resources for foolishness". It worked.

[MikeEMT]

I have transported wheelchairs many times - both manual and electric. Even took a Rascal once.

It kind of depends on you ambulance layout. We drive type II vans and have enough space to cram the wheel chair between the bench and the shelves. Most of the time its easy, however the rascal was a real pain in the a$$. Those stupid things are heavy. We used a whole engine crew to help use load it and about 6 nurses and er volunteers to help us unload it.

We try to use our cabulance when possible.

We use Type II ambulances if it makes a difference.

[scubanurse]

How are they secured in your ambulance? I could see a real safety issue if they aren't properly secured to something immovable. And having been in n ambulance crash myself, everything, and I mean EVERYTHING that isn't tied down will go flying and hit you.

[rock_shoes]

The answer to the OP's opening question is very simple. Can you safely secure the patient article in question within the ambulance you're using at the time. If the answer is yes by all means take it along. If the answer is no then leave it behind. If the patient is adamant that they require said article make reasonable effort to ensure it is transported to the patient's destination.