Heavy Lies the Helmet Episode 120 - Sorry, We Are Closed: Interfacility Transfers w/Austin Wingate
Jun 29, 2024
Listen to Austin Wingate, a transport specialist, discuss the risks and challenges of interfacility transfers in EMS. Topics include prioritizing ground safety, managing transfers in winter weather, enhancing patient outcomes, addressing provider fatigue, and improving communication for safe and efficient transfers.
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Stress Test Transport
- A six-and-a-half-hour interfacility transport for a stress test prompted a system change.
- The catalyst involved severe weather, closed mountain passes, and a questionable need for the transfer.
Ground Transport Risks
- Austin Wingate shared personal experiences with ambulance incidents, including waking up in a cornfield and being T-boned by a trooper.
- These events highlight the risks ground transport crews face.
Crash Consequences
- After ambulance crashes, often only the drivers face charges and civil suits.
- Sending and receiving providers typically face no repercussions, creating an imbalance of risk.