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NC EMTs tweak dispatch to ease processing of bariatric calls

Emergency Management Alert, November 12, 2007

We know without being told that you woke up this morning wondering, "Whatever happened to that report that addressed the link between back injuries and patient handling? You remember, honey, it was from CNA, the seventh largest commercial insurer and the 13th largest property and casualty insurer in the whole United States?"

We were wondering the same thing when we came across a story that ran in the Raleigh (NC) News & Observer detailing the problems EMTs face in handling obese patients. We, too, were reminded of "Back Injury Risk Control for Healthcare Facilities." Though published in May, 2006, it's evidently very relevant today, at least in North Carolina, where area companies are educating EMTs in patient handling issues and trying new ways to speed the treatment process.

In Wake County, a new dispatch system "flags" street addresses where EMTs travel to treat an obese patient. If a second call goes to that address, extra help is sent automatically. Durham has a similar system.

On routine medical calls, an ambulance and firetruck are sent, Wake's EMS chief Jeff Hammerstein told reporters. Handling a bariatric patient means adding a ladder truck, an EMS supervisor, and a technical rescue truck with tools and a tarp to move patients. "That level of response puts 10 to 12 people on the scene, and it's not too many," he said.

Wake's dispatch system has sent out extra help for obese patients 37 times this year, Hammerstein said.

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