JISCMail - ACAD-AE-MED Archives

Is this something that really needs a formal protocol? As far as I'm concerned the person who is best placed to make that decision is the medical doctor undertaking the initial assessment, i.e. the A&E doc. He/she can take advice from toxbase for the more unusual, exotic drugs or multiple drugs. The commonest problem we have encountered is additional alcohol ingestion clouding the sensorium thus making a mental health assessment impossible. We have agreed with our psychiatrists that patients who are below the legal driving level on a breathalyser test [we have one in A&E] are sober enough for assessment, the remainder are cared for on the obs ward until they sober up.

If we have protocols for everything we will drown in a sea of paper.

----- Original Message -----

From: [log in to unmask] href="mailto:[log in to unmask]">Jonathan Kisler

To: [log in to unmask] href="mailto:[log in to unmask]">Bill Bailey

Sent: Friday, June 13, 2003 6:05 PM

Subject: Medically fit

Does anyone have any written protocols on what is considered 'medically fit'? (as in medically fit for the psychiatric team to take over following parasuicide)

Sorry if this seems obvious (and probably down to common sense) but it seems to be a never ending debate at our place.