Legal Considerations and Standard Precautions Expectations: Be Punctual & Prepared Learn & Help Others Learn Be Responsible & Respectful

Goal of First Aid To Help you gain the knowledge, skills and confidence necessary to manage a medical emergency until more advanced help is available First Aid is not complex and is easy to remember and perform

Unit Objectives 1. Define First Aid 2. Explain the difference between the Good Samaritan Protection and a Legal Duty to Act 3. Differentiate between types of Consent and when they are applied 4. Understand and Practice Universal Precautions 5. 4 Main Legal Considerations

Definitions Basic First Aid On a scrap piece of paper, create a definition for “First Aid” that has at least 2 criteria

Definitions Basic First Aid: assessments and interventions that can be performed by a bystander (or by the victim) with minimal or no medical equipment First Aid Provider: someone with formal training in first aid

First Aid… Immediate care Does NOT take the place of proper medical treatment. Can mean the difference between life & death.

First Aid Provider Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death for individuals under the age of 44 Safe practices can prevent many injuries, however once an injury has occurred, effective first aid is the difference between time of recovery, a disability, or even life or death

First Provider (Cont’d) Essential responsibilities: Recognizing a medical emergency Making the decision to help Identifying hazards and ensuring personal safety Activating the EMS system Providing supportive, basic first aid care

Need 1 in 3 Americans visit the ER annually 70 million ER visits

Rationale Self Others Family Friends Students Physical Education Coaching Athletic Training

Legal Matters People fear being sued as a result of providing First Aid That is why you need to be knowledgeable of the legalities to help reduce this fear

Good Samaritan Law PASSED BY ALL STATES Provides protection from liability if provider: Acts in good faith Is neither reckless or negligent Acts prudently and only within scope of his/her training Does not abandon victim once care is begun Receives no compensation for services **Paid “Professional Rescuers” have a legal Duty to Act

Legal Considerations Consent Abandonment Negligence Confidentiality

Consent Must be obtained from every conscious and mentally competent adult. Expressed Implied

Consent Expressed Consent: the victim gives permission to receive care Implied Consent: permission to perform care is assumed on an unresponsive victim Children Elderly

Abandonment Terminating the care of a victim without ensuring continued care at the same level or higher. **Once you begin caring for a victim, you must continue until a person of equal or higher training takes over.**

Negligence Failure to provide the expected standard of care. Criteria involves: Having a duty to act Breaching that duty (substandard care) Causing injuries & damages Proximate Cause

Negligence & Duty to Act No one is required to render first aid unless a legal duty to act exists. Moral vs. Legal Obligations Legal duty to act: Employment requires it Pre-existing responsibility exists Must follow guidelines for standards of care (type of rescuer & published recommendations)

Confidentiality Kiss and Don’t Tell Policy Discuss only on a medical need to know basis. State Law exceptions.

Documentation—CYA!!! Paperwork serves as legal record of your treatment and course of action Should include: Patient condition when found Patient’s description of injury/illness Initial vitals and repeat vitals Treatment rendered Agency/personnel that took over Infectious disease exposure Reportable conditions Other

Dangers involved in Rendering First Aid Physical And Emotional

Emotional Dangers of First Aid Stress Guilt Depression Burnout What do you do?

Physical Dangers of First Aid Injury Death Disease/Pathogens What do you do?

Preventing the Physical Dangers of First Aid Survey the Scene Well talk more about that in later classes Observe Universal Precautions

Universal Precautions Why? Communicable Disease! Blood & Body Fluids can contain contagious viruses. The risk is low, but is still present… So…”observe universal precautions”… you don’t know if a virus is present, so act as if it is.

Universal Precautions All blood and certain bodily fluids that may contain blood should be considered potentially infected

Universal Precautions Wear/Use personal protective equipment (gloves, eye shield, rescue mask/shield) Remove contaminated materials (gloves, clothing) and dispose of properly Use alcohol-based hand rubs Decontaminate all surfaces and equipment (bleach solution) Report exposure

Legal Situations Groups 3-4 people/group Choose a speaker to report back to class 2-3 minutes to discuss situation and construct answer

Case #1 A child in physical education class hits his head on an closet door that was left open and suffers a head injury. Who is responsible? Why?

Case #2 While you are driving your son and neighbor’s child to school, you are in a car accident. Your neighbor’s child is unresponsive. Who is responsible? Why?

Case # 3 A doctor arrives upon a car accident between two vehicles at an intersection. One of the passengers is critically injured. Another bystander calls 911. The doctor chooses a different route home. Who is responsible? Why?

Case # 4 A coach has an athlete who is unconscious and choking. After a few unsuccessful attempts at the Heimlich, he attempts a tracheotomy. Who is responsible? Why?

Case #5 A child comes to you asking for help for her injured mother. You try to help her with the excessively bleeding wound on her abdomen. You feel like you’re not really helping and realize you are late for an appointment so you leave. Who is responsible? Why?

Case # 6 A woman arrives upon a scene of a bad car accident. There is one victim bleeding profusely. She calls 911, and goes over to help the victim, but he refuses her care because she is not a doctor. The victim later dies. Who is responsible? Why?

What would you do? You are out for a jog when you come across a man lying on the ground, unconscious. What if… You were all alone? You were with a friend? Someone was already helping him? A stranger were attempting to help them by giving CPR but they were doing it wrong? The man had highly contagious disease?

Unit Objectives 1. Define First Aid 2. Explain the difference between the Good Samaritan Protection and a Legal Duty to Act 3. Differentiate between types of Consent and when they are applied 4. Understand and Practice Universal Precautions 5. 4 Main Legal Considerations