If you’ve ever been in the situation where you had to call an ambulance for a loved one, you’ll know just how stressful that is.
It’s something none of us want to have to do but sometimes there’s no choice.
However, what happens when a patient – even your loved one – might decided they don’t actually want medical care, even if they really do need it!
Well, according to @sunnysideuptv – who works as an EMT in LA – that patient holds all the cards and regardless of how sick they might be, they can call it at anytime and stroll right out of that ambulance! Who knew.
The situation is called AME (Against Medical Advice) and that’s when a patient decides they’re doing what they feel is best for them regardless of how sick they are.
@sunnysideuptv told about a particularly upsetting incident when she claims another medical advisor didn’t give the patient the right advice in this scenario and instead used words to make them go to the ER!
She said: “This patient is an adult with decision making capacity and has the right to AME now. Our job on our part, we have to advise. So, usually this is how it should go in my opinion is. ‘Hey, you are an adult with decision making capacity and I understand that right. But let me just advise you on the risks and consequences if you refuse transport and refuse care.'”
She added: “‘You may feel fine now. But maybe later you’re not going to be fine. And there may be something wrong that we can’t see right now. Right? We just did a very general assessment and the general assessment says you’re good but there may be something deeper happening. So, we advise that you go to the hospital to go and get seen by a doctor and get you clear, just in case, right, just in case.’ That’s how it usually should go and goes. I’m not going to name who, but one of the workers on this call, decides to not do what I just described to you – and proceeds to tell his patient and fear monger this patient for lack of a better word. And tell his patient that he should not AME because he is going to die.”
Wow. Now that allegation is shocking!
What. Not okay!
She added: “And the words that he chose to use, I’m not going to repeat but the words that he chose to use were horrifying to me. And let’s just say that this person was in a position of power and ultimately the patient was fear mongered into the hospital. My stance on that was ‘Okay, we’re still taking him to the hospital. He’s going to get checked out. It’s not hurting the patient.'”
She continued: “The only thing I’m concerned about is that he did not understand his rights as a patient. And so, during the ride to the hospital, I told him his rights and that he shouldn’t let (emergency) workers like that bully and fear monger him into doing things that he does not want to do when he has a right to refuse.
She added: “I hope I explained that. Well. I did my very best, but I hope that you guys also know this. I want you guys to know this. So you guys understand you’re right as a patient, because that’s really important to me. And I don’t think people know that.”
This is a really great and empathetic medical worker – we need more of her!
Watch the full clip here:
@sunnysideuptv lemme know ur thoughts… i hope i explained this well enough and that this is informative 😌 #ems #emt #firefighter #healthcare
Here’s what people thought of the clip.
That’s not good enough! Do better that worker!
This is so true! Medical care needs to be free, y’all!
This is so true, sadly.
Long story short… know your rights!
Now that you’ve read that story, check out this one about a delivery driver who took a $400 grocery order back because she wasn’t given a tip.