This month we had the privilege to chat with Cliff Reid (@cliffreid)- a Retrieval Physician with Sydney HEMS. Dr. Reid has an extensive history in HEMS and emergency/critical care medicine. I wanted to pick his brain on a variety of topics such as:
Receiving a report from the crew you are intercepting with.
As you and your partner enter the back of the ambulance of the crew you are intercepting with, there is a tendency for one person to begin talking to your partner while the other speaks to you. This can create an inefficient communication pattern that leaves gaps in the handover.
Delegating tasks on scene.
Sometimes a specific skill needs to be executed, and that intervention falls within the scope of practice of the crew you are intercepting with. Do you let them perform it, knowing that they didn't recognize or were intimidated to perform the skill prior to your assessment? Do you use this as a teaching opportunity?
Creating a constructive culture of peer review.
Nothing can be more uncomfortable than giving your partner or colleagues feedback after a mission. Dr. Reid discusses his approach to this necessary interaction in which he calls "Coffee & Cases".
All this plus a lesson on the endangered wangaroo.
https://www.foamfrat.com/single-post/2019/08/16/Podcast-82---Handovers-Delegation-and-Critique-w-Cliff-Reid