BLS Approved Meds.

[briguy222]

I work as an EMT-B at a retirement community in PA. We are only BLS here and there have recently been some arguments about what we can and what we can not have in our medical supplies. I know there are only the 6 medications we can administer and or assist with but people have been telling us that we are not allowed to stock and or use certain things on site.

The supplies in question are saline solutions (bottles and eye solution), anti-biotic creams, ammonia inhalants, medicated swabs, burn and or cooling gels, and any other little things like those. I was just wondering if we really are not allowed to use these or even have them available for use. And if we can not physically administer these things, can we supply them to the patient so they can administer it themselves.

Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks.

[Just Plain Ruff]

I work as an EMT-B at a retirement community in PA. We are only BLS here and there have recently been some arguments about what we can and what we can not have in our medical supplies. I know there are only the 6 medications we can administer and or assist with but people have been telling us that we are not allowed to stock and or use certain things on site.

The supplies in question are saline solutions (bottles and eye solution), anti-biotic creams, ammonia inhalants, medicated swabs, burn and or cooling gels, and any other little things like those. I was just wondering if we really are not allowed to use these or even have them available for use. And if we can not physically administer these things, can we supply them to the patient so they can administer it themselves.

Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks.

Can you give more information on a couple of things

1. What anti-biotic creams do you stock? What are the brand names?

2. Medicated Swabs - more info please what are the brand names.

3. More information on the "any other little things like those" that covers a really broad spectrum of things.

Who has the concerns? You didn't specify who specifically had the concerns.

What does your medical Director have to say about the above 3 items? He's the one who in the end should determine what you have medicine wise on your trucks and kits.

Give us more info on my questions and I(we)can help you more.

[JCicco345]

There is a diffrence between medications that you can admisiter and medications that you can asisst with. If you can administer it then you should be carrying it, if it is a medication that you can assist with there is no reason to carry it. Since in order to be able to administer it, it has to be the patients own medication. As for the saline solution, i'm guessing that is for irrigation and such, which that is fine to carry, but we carry sterile water for irrigation. Ammonia inhalants are carried by some, not carried by others, they are really not used much either way. Burn gels, antibiotic creams, medicated swabs that is all just extra stuff, no real reason to carry it. Who supplies your trucks, they are the ones that should be approving what you are carrying. Also as previously mentioned your medical director should have a say in it too.

[tator55]

Varies by state

DE:

EMT-B can carry oral glucose

Can administer if patient possesses:

Nitro pills

EpiPen

Aspirin

MDI

Just found out in NC, Basics cannot do any of that, at least in the county I'm in.

[spenac]

In Texas you can administer what ever your medical director puts in the protocols.

[Timmy]

Here in Aussie your standard first aider can give paracetamol, ant acids, Aspirin, oral glucose ect ect. If you do the asthma course you give Ventolin. If you do the meds course you give Penthrane, GTN tablets, Nebulised salbutamol. In some states you can carry epi but in mine you can only ‘assist’ the patient.

[brentoli]

The supplies in question are saline solutions (bottles and eye solution), anti-biotic creams, ammonia inhalants, medicated swabs, burn and or cooling gels, and any other little things like those.

Thats fine, for irrigation and moist dressings. You're not using it for anything else, are you?

Why do you have this? You don't treat wounds, you stop the bleeding and transport, or give the kid a band-aid.

These are useless. Does anyone in your service use sternum rubs?

What do you even use these for? Are they in your protocol?

What are the "little" things?

[Richard B the EMT]

Here in NYC, in the FDNY EMS, we are allowed to administer, when s/s and standing protocols indicate so, Oxygen, Albuterol, and chewable baby aspirin.

We are allowed to assist the patient in their self administering, when s/s and standing protocols indicate so, of Nitro, and "Epi-Pens".

We no longer have syrup of ipicac in our protocols.

Figure I probably left something out, so anyone else from either NY State, or FDNY EMS want to fill holes I might have left?

[s_greene]

Rich B, you hit all of them for FDNY. Activated charcoal and water are still in protocol for NYS and the city for poisonings/overdose. And don't forget the MARK I kits!.

Seth

[Chief1C]

We are able to, and do stock Sterile Water and Sodium Chloride for irrigation. Either product is acceptable, but they are also required for your licensure.

Sterile Water/Normal Saline (2 liters) for a BLS Ambulance

You cannot use the medicane or sting swabs like are available in most catalogs.

You can carry bottles of opthalmic irrigation solution, such as Swifteze, etc.

Ammonia inhalants.. Well, since there is no list (that I've seen, even when i was an EMS captain I couldn't get lists) of what you can't carry, or a helpful list of what you can.. I'd say, just don't. They have a tendency to piss patients off, they wake up violently. Or they wake up, having suffered from some type of injury in their drunken fall, and thrash around paralyzing themselves from a spinal fracture. Up to you want you want to use on the church lady suffering from the vapors.

Gels and creams; like the WaterJel kits, etc. We were told not to carry them. We keep some on the rig for sunburn of firefighters, and some first aid cream in a box for personnel. I'll put what ever I want, on my skin, since it's not an EMS situation. Just gotta watch what you put on other people. Always irrigate well before finishing a wound off, don't slap on ointment with bits of rust or dirt in there.

http://www.dsf.health.state.pa.us/health/l...sure_manual.pdf