Darren Walter said:
> I learnt very early on in my Emergency Medicine career "ask no questions
get
> told no lies" about the circumstances of the injury. What caused the
injury
> and when are the usual limit of the mechanism questions, no who or why.
> I would also feel very uncomfortable about giving this sort of information
> out. The patients' honesty about mechanism is already questionable in
these
> circumstances. If they know it will be passed on we are even less likely
to
> get a true account.
> We are currently seen as independent of the "State" in terms of crime, its
> identification and investigation. I believe that losing this would
compromise
> our ability to care for the injured.
And then said:
> I would support the introduction of a blood alcohol assessment system
> in a manner similar to the compulsory sample provision in New South Wales,
> Australia. If you are involved in a collision of any sort, the carer must
> take a sample of blood for the Police laboratory. Almost without
exception,
> the patients/public accepted this without question.
These two views are completely contradictory! A compulsory blood alcohol
assessment system would clearly be State authorised, and our departments
would then no longer be seen as independent. With this type of system many
patients would then steer clear of A&E departments leading to the very
compromise in care that you allude to.
Adrian Fogarty
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