A few personal observations.
Many ambulance crews place patients onto spinal boards not because of MOI or injury, but because there is TV Insurance 'were you hurt in an accident.…' thought process that the patient experiances as they wait for the ambulance to arrive on scene.
If ambulance personnel can place the patient onto the boards in the first place then why cant they (and the nursing staff in A&E) remove them from the board. Or should we be calling for a doctors every time we wish to board someone at an RTC. Removal form the board and clearing C-Spine are two separate issues.
I believe nurses can clear C-spines if educated to do so. It doesn't appear to be rocket science. I may be naive and maybe you guys on the list will advise me why I am wrong. If the nurse palpates the spine and the patient doesn't go 'OUCH' AND there is no neurological deficit then the C-spine has been cleared. If the patient has any S&S of pain or deficit then the patient is strapped down to the trolley and X-rayed for the docs to review. Or is there more to this than I have witnessed over the past 17 years of watching A&E docs performing a clearance.
MOI is out of date and needs to be reviewed. 30mph with a seat belt is an indication for trauma calls to the A&E!!. This was based on US vehicles with box frame chassis and no seat belts. We now have crumple zones and seatbelts, head rests, side impact bars and have had for a few years now. A need to review is indicated.
Mike Bjarkoy
